Team SA positively positions SA at WEF

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

On the first day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Team South Africa reached out to international partners as part of efforts to position the country favourably to the rest of the globe.

At the start of the meeting on Tuesday, South Africa held several interactions with partners in government and business as part of not only positioning the country favourably but also as part of building partnerships to address global issues.

“The Forum presents South Africa with various platforms to outline the country’s efforts to secure sustainable and inclusive economic growth; address governance weaknesses in the public and private sectors and to contribute positively to the development of solutions to global challenges,” said the Presidency.

It further added that the country continues to attract global interest in view of its position as a sophisticated, diverse and promising emerging market, as recently endorsed by Goldman Sachs Portfolio Strategy Research.

At the meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Ministerial delegation participated in a range of public forums and bilateral meetings as part of positioning South Africa’s attractiveness as an investment destination, trade partner and member of the international community.

Deputy President Ramaphosa attended the opening plenary session of the Forum as well as a plenary discussion on the conference theme. He also held bilateral meetings with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda; President João Lourenco of Angola; Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre of Somalia; Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam of Singapore and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani of Qatar.

The Deputy President also held a bilateral meeting with WEF Founder and Executive Director Prof Klaus Schwab. At the bilateral meeting, the Deputy President expressed South Africa’s appreciation for the World Economic Forum’s continued support for and commitment to the development of the African continent.

The Forum presents South Africa with various platforms to outline the country’s efforts to secure sustainable and inclusive economic growth; address governance weaknesses in the public and private sectors and to contribute positively to the development of solutions to global challenges.

In addition to positioning South Africa as a leading competitive and investment friendly destination that is open for business, government continued to utilise the WEF Davos 2018 platform to bring attention to the significant centenary celebrations of the iconic global leader and late South African President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

The four-day meeting in the snow ridden city brings together political, business and broader civil society leadership under the theme, “Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World”.

The theme seeks to mobilise global leadership to develop responses to trends – including the rise of isolationism and extremism – that undermine efforts by the global community to foster openness, tolerance, integration and shared opportunity.

Peace in Africa session

On Wednesday, Deputy President Ramaphosa will contribute to a breakfast session entitled “Building Peace in Africa”.

“This will be complemented by various interactions by Ministers and discussions between South African businesses and international partners. Deputy President Ramaphosa, together with several ministers, will participate in a country strategy dialogue on South Africa, which will focus international attention on measures to grow the South African economy and promote development,” said the Presidency.

He will also hold discussions with Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen of Denmark after which Team South Africa’s day will culminate in a South Africa Business Dinner hosted by Brand South Africa. 

The annual meeting will conclude on Friday. - SAnews.gov.za