President Jacob Zuma – Photo UN
PANA
Cape Town, South Africa – President Jacob Zuma has returned home to South Africa after concluding his working visit to Senegal on Wednesday.
“We have achieved our goal and a lot has been accomplished at economic and political levels during this visit,” he said in a statement issued by the presidency. “There will be a lot of progress going forward.”
The aim of the visit was to strengthen social, economic and political relations between South Africa and Senegal.
Presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj said there was a desire to strengthen co-operation on air transport, with a view to making Dakar a hub to serve the entire West African region.
He said the two countries had agreed to pursue the establishment of a well-developed aviation maintenance service that is capable of meeting the demands of this sector.
“In this regard, they instructed their ministers responsible for this sector to undertake the necessary steps as soon as possible,” said Maharaj.
Presidents Zuma and Macky Sall held successful talks and agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as agriculture, mining, trade, tourism, higher education, training, scientific and technical research, and energy.
They also expressed their satisfaction with the dynamic military cooperation between Senegal and South Africa, marked by intensive exchanges between the two countries’ Armed Forces
The two Presidents expressed the wish for the consolidation of investments between Senegal and South Africa and, in that respect, welcomed the South African Department of Trade and Industry initiative to organise, on the sidelines of the State Visit, a Business Forum and Technical Mission with the view to promoting contacts between the two countries’ public and private sectors.
Maharaj said President Sall expressed Senegal’s wish for the continued involvement of South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), in the realisation of the Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD) in Diass.
President Zuma, who visited Goree Island, said the twinning of the island with South Africa’s Robben Island would enable the two historical sites to share experiences and best practices and would promote the tourism route between the two countries.
“The two islands will always have a special place in our history as symbolising the triumph of the human spirit over evil,” the South African President said.
