South African businesses invited to invest in S. Sudan as Kiir meets Ramaphosa

JUBA – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has appealed to South African businesses to come and invest in South Sudan after the South Sudanese head of state met his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday afternoon.

Kiir is in South Africa for a three-day state visit in which he is expected to hold talks with Ramaphosa on a range of issues including the implementation of South Sudan’s revitalized peace agreement and bilateral ties.

In a statement on Saturday evening, South African presidency said in a statement that the two men met and assessed the “implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan and exploring mutual areas of interest and economic opportunities in Agriculture, Tourism, Minerals and Energy & the Services sector.”

For his part, South Sudan’s minister of presidential affairs who is accompanying the president in his South African trip said Kiir has invited South African businesses to come to South Sudan and invest there as peace continue to hold in the world’s youngest country.

“With peace holding, President Salva Kiir invites South Africans businesses to conduct meaningful investment in South Sudan, a step that will prove mutually beneficial to the two Countries,” Marial said, according to a statement by the presidency.

Marial who was appointed last week to replace Nhial Deng Nhial further said Kiir “informed his South African Counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa that he wholeheartedly welcomes the appointment of Nicholas Haysom as Secretary General Representative and Head of UNMISS.”