S/Africa, Cote d’Ivoire eye stronger ties as Ramaphosa begins state visit

By Agence de Presse Africaine On Dec 2, 2021

Ouattara is expected to bestow Cote d’ Ivoire’ s Order of the Dignity of the Grand Cross on Ramaphosa, and president the South African leader with honorary citizenship of the Autonomous District of Abidjan. Ramaphosa is also expected to undertake a tour of Abidjan port before addressing the Cote d’ Ivoire-South Africa Business Forum. The visit to Cote d’ Ivoire…

APA-Pretoria (South Africa) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa commenced a two-day state visit is in Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday during which the two countries are eyeing deeper economic and political ties.

“President Ramaphosa’s state visit to Cote d’Ivoire is historic and significant in that it will be the first state visit between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations in the early 1990s,” the presidency said in a statement.

The visit comes at a time the two countries are consolidating a list of strategic areas of cooperation across various economic and social sectors, it said.

Ramaphosa and host President Alassane Ouattara are on Friday expected to preside over official talks before the signing of agreements on political consultations, defence cooperation, agricultural cooperation, youth development, information and communication technologies, energy and employment, the office said.

Ramaphosa is also expected to undertake a tour of Abidjan port before addressing the Cote d’Ivoire-South Africa Business Forum.

To conclude the visit, the two leaders and the head of South African telecommunications giant MTN are expected to symbolically lay the foundation stone for the new headquarters of the company in Cote d’Ivoire.

The visit to Cote d’Ivoire follows another state visit to Nigeria on November 30 that saw the two countries holding the 10th session of the Bi-National Commission.