President Hage Geingob will host South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, who will undertake an official visit to Namibia to participate in the third session of the two countries’ Bi-National Commission (BNC) on Friday.

A statement issued by the Presidency on Tuesday said the two presidents will co-chair the presidential segment of the commission, which the two leaders had agreed to convene in Namibia during the State visit of President Geingob to South Africa on 20 April 2023.

“Since the transformation of the Heads of State Economic Forum into the BNC in November 2012, the BNC has served as a vital platform to further enhance bilateral cooperation, including exchanging views on issues of mutual interest and coordination of diplomatic positions at the regional and multilateral fora,” the statement reads.

Moreover, Namibia and South Africa are important trading partners, both in terms of exports and imports. South Africa has the highest number of companies doing business in Namibia, and Namibia is one of the biggest investors in the South African economy. 

Both countries are members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), of which the latter has an important mandate for the industrialisation of the member states.

“The third session of the BNC will review cooperation in a wide range of areas, including diplomatic and legal, economic, social, as well as defence and security. It will also serve as an opportunity for the two countries to strengthen the bonds of friendship by assessing the progress made in implementing the decisions of their
BNC,” according to the statement.

The presidential segment of the BNC will be preceded by the ministerial segment, which will be co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa Naledi Pandor. 

- Nampa