On Friday, Federal Republic of Côte d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara is scheduled to pay President Cyril Ramaphosa an official State visit.
Following President Ramaphosa’s visit to the West African nation in December of last year, President Ouattara will be making a reciprocal trip.
The two nations will hold bilateral conversations, watch several agreements be signed, and participate in a business conference, according to the presidency.
Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa have strong political, economic, social, and cultural links.
The Joint Commission of Collaboration (JCC), founded in December 2015 as a structured bilateral body to promote political, economic, social, cultural, scientific, and technological cooperation between the two countries, oversees bilateral relations between the two nations.
Nine Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and Agreements have been signed between the two nations since the JCC was established, including industries like agriculture, mining, transport, telecommunications, and defence.
The two nations hope to sign more agreements during the State visit in order to further solidify their bilateral ties, according to the Presidency.
Trade between South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire has increased by R774 million since 2019, reaching at least R2 billion in 2021 despite the economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.