President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will travel to Pretoria on Thursday to co-chair the fourth session of the Namibia-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday.
The summit marks the conclusion of a week-long programme that began with senior officials meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a ministerial session on Thursday, co-chaired by Namibia’s international relations minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi and her South African counterpart Ronald Lamola.
The BNC is taking place as xenophobic incidents continue in that country.
“The BNC is the highest bilateral cooperation platform between the two countries, providing an opportunity to review and strengthen ties across political, economic, legal, security and social sectors;” reads a Presidency statement issued on Wednesday.
Key discussions are said to focus on trade and investment, border management, infrastructure and energy, disaster management, defence and regional cooperation.
The Presidency says several agreements and agreement are expected to be signed.
A South Africa-Namibia Business Forum will be held alongside the summit under the theme ‘Driving Regional Industrialisation, Investment and Sustainable Growth through Strategic South Africa-Namibia Partnerships’.
The forum will bring together government leaders, investors and business representatives to strengthen commercial ties, promote investment opportunities and encourage private sector participation.
The Presidency says it will also focus on expanding bilateral trade, developing regional value chains and supporting job creation.
Namibia and South Africa remain among each other’s largest trading partners and share more than 150 bilateral agreements.
Both countries are members of the Southern African Development Community and the Southern African Customs Union.
Nandi-Ndaitwah is expected to return to Namibia on Friday after the summit
