JOHANNESBURG - Davos-klosters- The South African delegation to the World Economic Forum in Africa has held engagements with government and business leaders as it seeks to boost the country's image as an investment destination, trade partner and member of the international community.
In a statement on Tuesday night, the presidency said the South African delegation in Davos launched its participation at the Forum with a range of interactions with international partners in government and business.
It said the WEF 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.
"South Africa 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," the presidency added.
On Tuesday Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and his ministerial delegation participated in a range of public forums and bilateral meetings.
"Deputy President Ramaphosa 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 presidency said.
"Furthermore, Deputy President had a bilateral meeting with WEF founder and executive director Professor Klaus Schwab, to whom Deputy President Ramaphosa expressed South Africa’s appreciation for the World Economic Forum’s continued support for and commitment to the development of Africa."
South Africa is also using the WEF platform to highlight the significant centenary celebrations of former president Nelson Mandela, who was born in 1918 and died in 2013.
On Wednesday, Ramaphosa will participate in a session entitled "Building Peace in Africa".
He is also scheduled to participate in a country strategy dialogue on South Africa, which will focus on measures to grow the economy.
Ramaphosa is also set to hold discussions with Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen of Denmark before attending a business dinner hosted by Brand South Africa.