South Africa's Foreign Minister To Travel To Saudi Arabia On April 1 - Ministry

JOHANNESBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th March, 2021) South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor will make an official visit to Saudi Arabia and the state of Kuwait on April 1, according to a statement from the department of international relations.

The Minister will also meet with current and potential investors.

Relations between South Africa and Saudi Arabia are said to have intensified in recent years. Total trade between both countries amounted to R40 billion ($2.66 million) in 2020. The Saudi private sector has invested over 15 billion rand in the renewable energy sector in the Northern Cape province, as part of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Program. The growth in bilateral cooperation has also begun to open further opportunities for South African companies in the engineering, hospitality and health care.

Following the visit to Saudi Arabia, the Minister will head off to Kuwait to meet her counterpart Dr Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah and engage with investors.

According to a statement seen by Sputnik, the two Ministers will sign the draft agreement of cooperation for the establishment of a joint commission of cooperation between South Africa and Kuwait.

"Minister Pandor will reiterate, to both countries which play an important leadership role in the middle East-South Africa's commitment to continued cooperation and strengthening of bilateral, political and economic relations," the statement read.

Despite the outbreak of the global Covid-19 global pandemic, two-way trade between South Africa and Kuwait increased from 1.4 billion rand in 2019 to 2 billion rand in 2020.