On Friday, July 22, 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa will receive President Alassane Ouattara of the Federal Republic of Côte d’Ivoire on a state visit to South Africa.
Following President Ramaphosa’s fruitful state visit to Côte d’Ivoire in December 2021, this will be President Ouattara’s reciprocal trip to South Africa.
Presidents Ramaphosa and Ouattara are anticipated to hold private talks, take part in the signing of several agreements, and speak at a business forum for South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire.
Close political, economic, social, and cultural links exist between South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire.
The Joint Commission of Collaboration (JCC), founded in December 2015 as a structured bilateral body to promote political, economic, social, cultural, scientific, and technological cooperation between the two countries, oversees bilateral relations between the two nations.
Nine (9) Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and Agreements have been inked between the two nations since the JCC was established, covering industries like agriculture, mining, transport, telecommunications, and defence.
The two nations hope to negotiate more agreements to bolster their bilateral ties during the state visit.
Trade between South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire is still growing on a bilateral basis.
The entire trade between the two nations climbed from R1.3 billion in 2019 to R2.0 billion in 2021, notwithstanding the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The amount of trade between the two nations increased by around R774 million as a result.
The South African investment portfolio in Cote d’Ivoire is likewise expanding quickly.
The following South African businesses have investments in Côte d’Ivoire, among others:
– MTN
– Standard bank
– Multichoice
– Sanlam
– Investec
– RMB
– Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)