President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, will pay a State Visit to South Africa this week at the invitation of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Thursday’s State Visit will crown the 2nd Session of the South Africa-Tanzania Bi-National Commission (BNC).

“The Bi-National Commission is a platform for strengthening cooperation especially in areas such as trade and investment, infrastructure, transport, energy, water, science and innovation, education, defence, agriculture, environment, health, and culture, among others,” the Presidency said.

Tanzania is one of South Africa’s foremost trading partners on the continent.

“South Africa wishes to see an increase in trade and investment and broader economic development between the two countries. To this end, total trade between South Africa and Tanzania increased from R6.89 billion in 2021 to R8.71 billion in 2022.

“The strong economic ties are evidenced by the presence of more than 250 South African companies in diverse sectors in Tanzania,” the Presidency said.

The BNC comprises four committees: Political and Diplomatic; Defence and Security; Economic Affairs, and Social and Cultural Affairs.

South Africa and Tanzania enjoy deep historical relations arising from Tanzania’s solidarity with South Africa’s liberation struggle.

“The ruling party in Tanzania, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), supported the African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) in the struggle against apartheid.

“These ties culminated in the establishment of official diplomatic relations when South Africa achieved freedom in 1994 and have since evolved into excellent political, economic, and social relations,” the Presidency said.

The programme of the Heads of State and Government will be preceded by meetings of senior officials on Monday and Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a meeting by the Ministerial Bi-National Commission on the Senior Officials will be held.

These engagements will take place at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s OR Tambo headquarters in Pretoria.

On the margins of the State Visit and the BNC, a Business Forum will take place under the theme: “Forging a New Deal between South Africa and Tanzania Towards High Levels of Trade and Investment”.

The forum will focus on agriculture, agro-processing, oil and gas, mining and infrastructure development.

President Ramaphosa and President Hassan are expected to address a plenary session of the Business Forum.

Source: Nam News Network (NNN)