Pretoria – International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane is to host her Malian counterpart, Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, who will visit the country this week with the aim of strengthening relations between the two countries.
The two ministers will co-chair the 3rd Session of the South Africa-Mali Joint Commission for Co-operation (SA-Mali JCC) on Thursday in Cape Town.
The SA-Mali JCC will review and strengthen bilateral political, economic and trade relations, the Department of International Relations said on Monday.
The conclusion of proposed draft bilateral agreements and a review of progress in various areas of co-operation such as agriculture, arts and culture, defence, education, health, minerals and energy, science and technology, trade and industry and transport and issues of multilateral importance, including Malian support when South Africa hosts COP17/CMP7 later this month, will feature high on the agenda, ministry spokesperson Clayson Monyela said.
With Mali’s strong support for the African Renaissance initiative and NEPAD, as well as its strong commitment to the promotion of democracy and good governance, demonstrate the close relations, the two counties enjoy close and warm bilateral relations.
The completion and handing over by South Africa of the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research in Timbuktu which has been recognised as the first Cultural Programme of NEPAD, remains a cornerstone achievement of the relationship.
“The Ahmed Baba Institute will remain a significant venue for bilateral research programmes into the ancient scientific and cultural information contained in the preserved manuscripts,” said Monyela.
Since the establishment of the JCC in 2000, South Africa has been involved in several projects to assist Mali. These projects include funding of the Cuban Medical Brigade deployed in the rural areas of Mali; assisting Mali when it hosted the 2002 African Cup of Nations tournament; and the fight against a locust invasion in 2004.
On an economic level, SA has endorsed that Eskom Enterprises renews their term for the hydro-electrical generation project in Manantali, a joint initiative between the governments of Mali, Senegal and Mauritania. This was done with the view that this project will form the basis of increased cooperation between the respective power pools in the two countries as well as the regional Economic Communities.
In addition to the commercial opportunities that the relationship between South Africa and Mali presents, tourism between the two countries remains an important growth sector. -BuaNews
