KUWAIT CITY, May 3: The South African Embassy in Kuwait celebrated the country’s National Day at the Salwa Al-Sabah Ballroom of the Marina Hotel in Salmiya. The event was attended by a number of ambassadors accredited to Kuwait, dignitaries, invited guests and the media fraternity. The guest of honor was Minister Hamad Abdulwahab Al-Adwani. Speaking on the occasion Ambassador of South Africa to Kuwait HE Dr Maneli Genge said South Africa also celebrated 29th Freedom Day which falls on the 27th of April every year, to commemorate South Africa’s first democratic elections that took place in 1994, and to celebrate the birth of democracy. This day, he said, is commemorated to honor those unsung heroes who fought for our freedom and paved the way for an equal, representative and non-racial nation. The South African government, he said, continues to work towards building a prosperous South Africa that is at peace with itself and the world and contributes to a better Africa and a better world for all.

Cultural
South Africa and Kuwait enjoy strong cordial diplomatic relations anchored on three pillars, i.e. political, economic and cultural in addition to sharing a common vision to further enhance the existing relations on a mutually beneficial basis, which would contribute to the achievement of South Africa’s National Development Plan – Vision 2030 and to the Kuwait Vision 2035 objectives. To this end, he went on to say, South Africa and Kuwait have signed an Agreement for the establishment of the Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC), which is expected to be launched in South Africa during the course of 2023.

The two countries have also signed a number of bilateral agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and negotiations are also underway to conclude other Agreements/MoUs in agriculture, education, tourism fields, amongst others. On the economic front, “our current trade relations with Kuwait are showing steady increase over the years and both countries are committed to grow these relations to greater heights for the wellbeing of our economies and peoples. There are still vast opportunities for increased trade between our two countries,” saying South Africa prides itself on its business/investment value proposition (quality, capability, value for money, returns on investments, etc.) available opportunities in various sectors of its economy.

South Africa is one of the most promising emerging markets with a unique combination of highly developed first world economic infrastructure. A number of Kuwaiti investors have invested in the tourism, hospitality and real estate sectors of our economy. South Africa offers foreign investors opportunities in the agriculture/agro-processing, mining, manufacturing, services, energy, infrastructure development and tourism sectors, amongst others, he said.

Investment
In his opening address at the 5th South Africa Investment Conference held recently in South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the Investment Conference has continued to evolve and grow over the past five years and most importantly is the impact these investments have made on the lives of South Africans. He went on to say, South Africa is open for business and is working on attracting more foreign investors to invest in various sectors including: mining, agricultural and agro-processed products, livestock, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, healthcare services, engineering and construction, real estate development, banking services, and storage and logistics services. Affectionately known as ‘The Rainbow Nation’, due to its diverse nature of its citizens South Africa has 11 official languages with numerous traditional/cultural encounters to be experienced. South Africa will continue to expand trade and investment opportunities with its partners, as we look into attracting more investment into the South African economy. Respectively, South Africa has signed and ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement. AfCFTA (One of the fl agship projects of the African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.) “South Africa is privileged to chair for the third time since we were invited to join BRICS in 2010, under the theme “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism. Our vision is of BRICS providing global leadership and serving as the catalyst for sustained and mutually beneficial global growth and sustainable development as well as driving inclusion of the global South in all global systems,” the South African envoy disclosed.