President Cyril Ramaphosa, at the invitation of Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, will undertake a working visit to Abidjan on Sunday.
The visit is scheduled to coincide with the 12th edition of the Africa CEO Forum, taking place on May 12 and 13, 2025.
This year’s forum will focus on the theme “Can a New Deal Between State and Private Sector Deliver the Continent a Winning Hand?”
This theme aligns closely with current African priorities, aiming to foster deeper collaboration between the private and public sectors in infrastructure and industrial development.
An Invest South Africa session will also be held on the sidelines of the forum.
“The theme of this year’s session is: ‘Can a New Deal between State and Private Sector Deliver the Continent a Winning Hand?’. This theme resonates with the current priorities of the African continent, which seek to promote closer cooperation between the private sector and public sector in infrastructure and industrial development,” the Presidency said in a statement.
“The President’s participation at the Africa CEO Forum will provide South Africa with an opportunity to consolidate its position as one of the leading investment destinations on the continent. Importantly, South Africa’s G20 Presidency will further enhance the country’s visibility at the forum.”
The visit to Côte d’Ivoire will also serve to strengthen the already existing bilateral relations between the two nations.
“In recent years, the two countries have consolidated their bilateral cooperation and intensified the exchange of high-level visits. In December 2021, President Ramaphosa undertook a successful high-level State Visit to Côte d’Ivoire. The following year, in July 2022, President Ouattara reciprocated by undertaking a State Visit to South Africa,” the Presidency said.
“Several key South African companies have invested in Côte d’Ivoire, including MTN, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, Nedbank, Debonairs Pizza, Stanbic, Investec, Rand Merchant Bank, Absa, Multichoice, Sanlam, Solenta Aviation and Carrick Wealth.”
Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, and Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, during this important visit.
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