OWN CORRESPONDENT AND REUTERS, Algiers | Monday
A VISIT to Algeria by South African President Thabo Mbeki and a high-powered delegation – including seven ministers and 30 chief executives of large South African companies – is paying rich dividends with the signing of an economic cooperation agreement to boost investment and trade exchanges between the two countries.
The official APS news agency said the Algerian Minister in charge of reforms coordination and his South African counterparts signed an economic cooperation and partnership accord.
“This accord aims to set up an adequate framework which will define the structure of a sustained economic cooperation between Algeria and South Africa in the future,” APS said.
Mbeki co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the joint Bi-National Commission (BNC) meeting with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
Algerian army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Mohamed Lamari and South African Defence Minister Patrick Lekota have also signed a defence agreement, but no details of this were readily available.
Other agreements in the sectors of energy, mines, water, education, trade and tourism were also expected to be signed.
South Africa plans to increase its investments in Algeria in the next few years to $1.0bn from less than $100m per year, officials said.
Trade exchanges currently total about $12.96m, largely favouring South Africa. Algeria and South Africa resumed political and diplomatic ties in 1994.