Pretoria - The 2nd Ministerial Session of the South Africa-Namibia Bi-National Commission (BNC) is underway in Pretoria.
The session is co-chaired by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and her Namibian counterpart Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
The main objective of the BNC is to coordinate and facilitate bilateral cooperation between the two neighbouring countries ahead of the Heads of State session to be led by President Jacob Zuma and President Hage Geingob.
The Ministers are expected to assess progress in the implementation of bilateral projects and exchange views on issues of mutual concern.
“We are family, we are comrades and most importantly, we are neighbours. As family and comrades, we need to meet regularly to discuss issues of mutual interest,” Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said in her address at the opening session.
South Africa and Namibia share similar goals, agendas and challenges such as climate change and the downturn in the global economy.
The Minister said today’s session needs to deliberate on ways to prioritise the full implementation of the agreements and memoranda of understanding signed between the two countries. South Africa and Namibia currently have 71 signed agreements and MoUs.
“We should not fail because while these agreements are important, we must remember that our people cannot eat agreements and policies,” said Minister Nkoana-Mashabane.
This view was also shared by Minister Nandi-Ndaitwah, who called for the economic emancipation of citizens in both counties.
“Because our economies are interdependent, we must find common ground to address our struggles.”
She said this could be done by investing in skills development for the youth needed to grow the economies of not only the respective countries, but the continent at large.
“We have been entrusted with this important responsibility to ensure that Agenda 2063 becomes a reality. Our people have high expectations on the deliverables of Agenda 2063 and therefore we cannot afford to be complacent.”
Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said it was critical for the two countries to focus particularly on economic projects within the broader context of SADC industrialisation.
Tourism, particularly eco-tourism, development between the countries should be a critical area of focus.
“We need to join hands in order to improve our offering to the market and draw increasing numbers of tourists that will result in increasing job creation and poverty alleviation whilst highlighting the very best our countries have to offer.”
South Africa and Namibia, the Minister said, must unlock the economic potential of their heritage and cultural resources through responsible and sustainable tourism development. – SAnews.gov.za
