Swaziland
22 April 2007
South Africa and Ghana will inaugurate a Bi-National Commission (BNC) in the
next two months. This was revealed over the weekend as Ghanaian Vice President
Alhaji Aliu Mahama paid a courtesy visit to his South African counterpart
Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in Tshwane.
Vice President Mahama has been in the country on official business for just
over a week, which included addressing the South African business community in
Johannesburg.
The BNC will include, among other things, co-operation on business,
education, technical, sports and culture.
The Vice President said he was impressed by the warm reception he
experienced in South Africa on all fronts, including the response he received
from the South African business community. He encouraged South African business
to take advantage of investment opportunities in the West Africa state that is
currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of Independence.
Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka emphasised that the co-operation should
include education and human resource development matters. She added that Ghana
had a good mining expertise from which South Africa could learn.
"We must realise that Africa's underdevelopment is a blessing in disguise as
this state of affairs presents a great business opportunity," she remarked.
Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka encouraged her counterpart to use South African
Universities for the training of Ghanaian nationals to which the Vice President
Mahama concurred.
"It is time that Ghana should start looking South instead of North in terms
of education. South Africa has a number of good, affordable educational
institutions, which could be used for training Ghanaians," said Vice President
Mahama.
The Vice President, who was accompanied by the Ghanaian Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs Akwasi Osei Ajei and other senior government officials, departs
South Africa on Monday, 23 April 2007.
The Deputy President also met her Swazi counterpart, Constance Simelane in
Tshwane.
Ms Simelane, who was appointed the Deputy Prime Minister last October, also
paid a courtesy visit to Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka.
The two deputy heads of state discussed the possibility of a regional Human
Resource Development strategy, which would see the Southern African region
collaborating on ways of curbing the brain drain.
The Swazi Deputy Prime Minister also indicated that Swaziland had embarked
on a restructuring the governance system of the kingdom, which would establish
the decentralisation of powers from the capital Mbabane.
Swazi government officials are due to embark on a study tour of South
African government departments in the near future, it was agreed.
Ms Simelane is the latest woman to be appointed deputy head of government in
the region with Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa all having women as
second in command.
For more information contact
Thabang Chiloane
Cell: 082 888 8783
Issued by: The Presidency
22 April 2007
