Deputy President Jacob Zuma has called for swift remedial action from the governments and business in Angola and South Africa to strengthen bilateral economic ties.
”The end of the conflict that had engulfed Angola and the dawn of freedom in South Africa affords us the opportunity to take active and sustained remedial measures to improve economic activity between the two countries,” Zuma said on Wednesday.
He was addressing the Angolan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the South African business community of Luanda on the final day of an official visit to Angola.
”It is our humble opinion that the success of our bilateral relations would be greatly enhanced when you, the business community, the engine of economic growth, take your rightful place in boosting these relations.”
Zuma said the World Bank posed a crucial question in a recent study, Can Africa claim the 21st Century?.
The bank observed that sub-Saharan Africa entered the 21st century as the region with many of the world’s poorest countries.
”Average per capita income is lower than the end of the 1960s. Incomes, assets and access to essential services are unequally distributed. And the region contains a growing share of the world’s absolute poor.”
The deputy president said both countries have to decide how to respond effectively to the continued reconfiguration of the global economy that keeps the welfare of Africa at the periphery.
”All modern political and economic thoughts are agreed that the private sector has a critical role to play in ensuring the growth of our economies, thereby creating gainful employment that would contribute to the eradication of poverty.”
There has been a significant increase in trade between South Africa and Angola in the past three years.
”Nevertheless, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Angola has a huge potential to emerge as one of the real economic giants in our sub-region and the continent,” Zuma said.
”Accordingly, it is important that we act together as partners to stimulate this growth.” — Sapa