Buya Jammeh, AfricaNews reporter in Dakar, Senegal
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has expressed his country's willingness to enhance cooperation with India in a number of areas, like infrastructure development, training, trade relations and tourism. Zuma said "In our talks we reflected on how we can further translate our historical ties into meaningful socio-economic development cooperation. Progress is being made in that regard."
Zuma was speaking at a joint press conference on Wednesday following a meeting with his Indian counterpart who is the in the Southern African country for a two day official working visit.
He said “Our Ministers responsible for Trade and Industry and Trade and Commerce are of the view that we should increase our mutual trade to R111 billion by 2014. I fully endorse the view.”
According to the South African Leader, his country has received enormous support and encouragement from India and other BRICS partners - Brazil, Russia and China, on our major infrastructure development plans.
“This is a significant state visit because relations between India and South Africa date back many decades. It is more important as it takes place during the year in which the country marks 100 years of the oldest liberation movement in Africa, the ANC;” he stated.
According to him, the two nations share a history of struggle against colonial oppression and racism, adding that they also share deep social, economic and cultural ties.
Business
“We have once again extended an invitation to Indian business to invest in our infrastructure development programme, in which we are to invest more than US $103.1200 million until 2014,” he disclosed to journalists at the Union Buildings, in Pretoria.
This will translate into US $38.6700 million in the energy sector and R262 billion in transport and logistics projects.
Infrastructure
President said “The infrastructure plan is driven and overseen by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission, (PICC),” Adding that the Commission has already identified and developed forty-three major projects and infrastructure initiatives from state-owned enterprises as well as national, provincial and local government departments.
He revealed that in order to boost the infrastructure programme, his country w will be seeking cooperation with India on the acquisition of some of these skills; with a view to enhance skills in the areas of engineering; information and communication technology; computer science; finance; economics and accounting.
Tourism
With regards to tourism, between 2005 and 2010, the number of Indian tourists to South Africa increased by 122%.
In 2011, the number in the first nine months of the year had already surpassed by 29 percent, that of the same period in 2010.
As a result, India is now ranked seventh in the top 20 source markets for South African tourism.
The Southern African Tourism Association is training more than 1,000 Indian travel agents and tour operators in India to ensure they have the skills and experience to market South Africa. We are doing this because we want tourism from India to South Africa to increase significantly, especially after this State Visit.
While trade between South Africa and India increasing steadily, we should all work to reach ever higher figures.
In 2011, bilateral trade between India and South Africa stood at R53.7 billion US$1289 million; with South Africa exporting goods to the value of R24.4 billion to India and importing goods from India to the value of R29.3 billion.
In 2010, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first group of 342 Indians on the Truro in 1860.
Since then, South Africans of Indian descent have made a major contribution to South Africa in various fields – social, cultural, political, economic, academia health and South African life in general.
Many illustrious South Africans today trace their roots back to the Indian sub-continent. Our history of nation-building is all the richer for their contribution.
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has expressed his country's willingness to enhance cooperation with India in a number of areas, like infrastructure development, training, trade relations and tourism. Zuma said "In our talks we reflected on how we can further translate our historical ties into meaningful socio-economic development cooperation. Progress is being made in that regard."
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