3 October 2007

A high-powered South African delegation led by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has left for Sweden, where they will attend the 5th session of the SA-Sweden bi-national commission, with the aim to consolidate political and economic ties between the two countries.

The bi-national commission consists of three committees including political affairs, economic affairs and social affairs and is co-chaired by Mlambo-Ngcuka and her Swedish counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister Maud Olofsson.

Mlambo-Ngcuka will use the event to promote economic relations and place special emphasis on investment, the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (Asgi-SA) and the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (Jipsa).

Asgi-SA aims to halve poverty and unemployment in the country by 2014 and achieve an economic growth rate of 6% by 2010, while Jipsa aims to assist in achieving those goals by sourcing, creating and securing a skilled labour force that will be needed.

To this effect, Mlambo-Ngcuka is expected to meet with the Swedish Employment Minister Sven Otto Littorin, Education and Science Minister Lars Leijonborg, as well as representatives from SAAB/Gripen International.

She will also open a South Africa - Sweden investment seminar, present a keynote address at the Swedish Institute for International Affairs, visit the Karolinska University Hospital and, in a symbolic gesture, lay a wreath at the grave of assassinated former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme.

Mlambo-Ngcuka will also explore enhanced cooperation on issues affecting the African continent, both in terms of trilateral cooperation and coordination of activities to promote conflict prevention and resolution, as well as promote post-conflict reconstruction.

These include a review of issues such as the work around the African Union, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Great Lakes region in central Africa, the Horn of Africa and in Western Sahara.

In 2006, South Africa's exports to Sweden amounted to about R3-billion, with imports totalling about R5.8-billion in the same year.

Source: BuaNews

	South Africa pushes 'e-skills' Asgi-SA priorities unveiled SA to harness expat skills Africa 'must engage its diaspora' Asgi-SA: accelerated growth for all Skills initiative to boost growth Asgi-SA boon to multinationals South African trade with Europe

	The Presidency  Department of Foreign Affairs  Swedish Government

SA-international update - News on SA's relations with the world. Gateway to Africa South Africa is not only an important emerging economy in its own right - it is also a key business gateway to sub-Saharan Africa.

Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for SA Find out more about SA's strategy to raise economic growth to 6% and halve poverty and unemployment.