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South Africa and Algeria are acting resolutely and methodically to translate political partnerships into tangible actions in various areas of economic cooperation. This was said by the South African Ambassador to Algeria, Mr Dennis Dlomo during a business forum that was held in Algiers, Algeria yesterday.

“Today is a manifestation of aspirations that we have had for a long time. The past three years has seen an increase in visits and engagements by South African business delegations to Algeria. This year we have had several engagements, a sign that all interactions are positive, increasing in frequency and number, and the quality has also improved,” said Dlomo.

He added that every generation has a responsibility of discovering and fulfilling its mission, as illustrated by the role the two countries are playing in promoting and defending intra-Africa trade and regional integration.

According to the Vice President of International Relations of Forum des Chefs d’enterprises , Mr Mehdi Bendimerad, Algeria has excellent diplomatic and political relations with South Africa, but economically these relationships have not yielding impressive results. He said that forums attending by businesspeople from Algeria and South Africa will advance and consolidate economic cooperation and strengthen confidence among businesspeople from both countries to positively influence growth.

“We call on South African companies to continue their efforts to intensify relations with Algerian companies. Our conviction is that partnerships can develop and be sustainable if direct contact is organised. Today’s economic meeting takes place in a national context marked by the implementation of numerous reforms aimed at diversifying the Algerian market, and an opportunity for South African businesspeople to explore cooperation and partnerships,” said Bendimerad.

The Export Promotion Director at the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), Ms Seema Sardha, said that South Africa viewed Algeria as a strategic partner with the cornerstone of the interactions being premised on the Bi-National Commission.

She said that the aim was to advance trade and investment relations between the two countries, and to have discussions that will yield positive and beneficial results for both countries going forward.

Issued by Department of Trade and Industry