BuaNews (Tshwane)
David Masango
6 August 2007
Pretoria — South Africa has pledged to lend its capabilities to Guinea-Bissau's efforts to improve the socio-economic status of its people.
This emerged during a meeting on Monday between delegations from both countries, led by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Guinea-Bissau's Prime Minister Martinho Dafa Cabi in Pretoria.
Addressing the media after the meeting, the Deputy President said the parties would "think together" on how best Guinea-Bissau could develop its infrastructure to improve social and economic situation.
"Clearly without infrastructure development Guinea-Bissau will not reach its potential," said Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka, adding that South Africa would provide its training capacity, including health training institutions, to Guinea-Bissau to help it develop skills.
The meeting was also aimed at strengthening economic and political ties between South Africa and Guinea-Bissau.
Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka said the meeting afforded the parties an opportunity to further strengthen their relations, which date back to during the struggle against apartheid.
"We also identified areas of cooperation, some of which are already work in progress," she said.
These areas include the economic arena, health, defence and human resource development.
The Deputy President also pointed out that the delegation from Guinea-Bissau included a business delegation that would meet their South African counterparts to find ways in which they can cooperate.
"They will have an opportunity to facilitate interactions with the South African business sector.
"We, as government, are looking at regulating matters such as to avoid double taxation of businesses from the two countries and to create an enabling environment to do business," the Deputy President explained.
South Africa, she said, had decided to open an embassy in Guinea-Bissau during the current financial year.
Prime Minister Cabi told reporters the aim of his visit was to consolidate the relations his country had with South Africa and "to reiterate the friendship we have."
He identified a number of areas in which South Africa could provide assistance, including the in economic recovery; providing infrastructure for services such as electricity and energy; in the fight against drug trafficking; human resource development; logistics and security.
"This meeting will serve as a very good example of South-South cooperation. It shows that Africans are able to cooperate between themselves and seek solutions [to problems] together.
"We are satisfied with the manner in which the discussions went," said Mr Cabi.
Through the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Facility for Hunger and Poverty Alleviation,
South Africa is involved in the development of the agricultural and livestock sectors in GuineaBissau.
The project was launched in 2004, as a South-South Co-operation project meant to assist in the upliftment of the Bissau-Guinean society. It is administered by the United Nations Development Programme.
The purpose of the IBSA Fund is to implement duplicable, phased projects in needy developing countries.
In Guinea-Bissau, the project aims to:
* reduce the country's rice deficit;
* improve and diversify horticulture;
* improve short-cycle livestock production and
* promote and develop small and medium scale agro-industry.
While in South Africa, Prime Minister Cabi will participate in a South Africa - Guinea Bissau Business Forum hosted by Minister of Trade and Industry Mandisi Mphahlwa on Tuesday.
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