PRETORIA – Two powerful countries with political and economic influence on the African continent are deepening ties.
On Thursday, Pretoria rolled out the red carpet for Kenyan President William Ruto for his state visit.
Commerce, education, tourism, and immigration are some of the issues dominating discussions with his South African counterpart.
On the thorny issue of migration, President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa is working to address the problems causing tensions between locals and migrants.
READ | Ramaphosa: South Africans are not xenophobic
This as he reinitiated that South Africans are not xenophobic
“South Africans are Africans. They want to live with other Africans peacefully. And our people are calling on us as leaders to resolve the many challenges that are brought to bear by the challenge of migration,” he said.
Talks also saw Ramaphosa calling for more economic and trade cooperation between Nairobi and Pretoria.
“We equally welcome the growing participation of Kenyan businesses in the South African market and the strengthening of commercial linkages between East and Southern Africa. But as South Africa, we want to see more Kenyan businesses investing in our market, and we want to see more Kenyan goods,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kenyan President William Ruto said it is high time African countries develop their economies so citizens can access opportunities and resources.
“The answer to this is to make sure that services and opportunities exist everywhere in our continent to avoid some of the challenges that we are facing,” Ruto said.
Both leaders have dismissed criticism that relations between the two countries are cold
