Ramaphosa in UK to tout SA as investment destination
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa is in London, leading a South African delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2018) tomorrow and Friday.
The meeting is themed “Towards a Common Future” and the Heads of Government segment was preceded by a Pre-CHOGM Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting yesterday and today.
The gathering will provide heads of government with an opportunity to discuss common international challenges facing the membership, including:
Weak global trade and investment flows. 21st century security threats.
Increasing the resilience of small and vulnerable states facing climate change (especially its impact on oceans).
Advancing the Commonwealth’s shared values and democracy, good governance and inclusivity as set out in the Commonwealth Charter.
The Commonwealth consists of 53 members, including 19 African members, seven Asian, 13 members from the Caribbean and the Americas, three from Europe and 11 members from the Pacific. It meets every two years to discuss issues affecting Commonwealth members and the international community in general.
The heads of government will at the conclusion of the meeting on Friday adopt an Outcome Document.
It will covers a wide range of issues that will serve as a Programme of Action for the organisation in the next two years.
For South Africa, the meeting is an opportunity to market and promote South Africa as an investment destination.
President Ramaphosa will utilise the opportunity to engage with major investors and business leaders based in the UK.
The president will thus extend an invitation to leading investors and leaders of business to attend the Investment Summit scheduled for later this year.
While in London, President Ramaphosa will pay a courtesy call on Her Majesty the Queen, hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May, deliver keynote addresses at the Commonwealth Business Forum banquets, attend CHOGM opening and closing sessions, and participate in a number of executive and retreat sessions.
President Ramaphosa and the South Africa delegation will also utilise the opportunity of the meeting of heads of government to continue to lobby for South Africa’s candidature to the UN Security Council for the term 2019-2020 with the elections to be held on June 8 in New York.
The South Africa delegation will continue to promote the centenary year of the birth of former president Nelson Mandela. President Cyril Ramaphosa will return to South Africa on Friday. Khusela Diko Spokesperson to the President