President Thabo Mbeki arrived in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday to attend the annual World Economic Forum, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
The Forum — under the banner ”Shaping the Global Agenda” — ends on Sunday.
Department spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said Mbeki and a delegation will participate in the forum ”within the context of South Africa’s priority to promote North-South cooperation in support of the African agenda through, amongst others, the World Economic Forum”.
Mbeki was joined by ministers Mandisi Mpahlwa and Trevor Manuel.
Mamoepa said the annual forum offers an opportunity for leaders from all sectors of business, government, media, academia, the arts and civil society to shape the global agenda for 2007.
Davos 2007 will focus on: driving growth; scaling up sustainable solutions; addressing global fault lines; exploring identity and the communication disconnect; and defining leadership mandates and the power of the network.
Later on Friday, Mbeki will participate in a session entitled ”Africa Sets a New Pace”, during which discussions are expected to focus on how resource-rich economies can be given the incentive to introduce good-governance systems.
It will also focus on what strategies are needed to support and sustain growth.
Mbeki was due to leave Davos on Saturday for Addis Ababa ahead of the African Union Heads of State and Government Summit scheduled from Sunday to Tuesday. — Sapa