JOHANNESBURG, January 31 (ANA) - The United Kingdom (UK) Minister of State for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, arrived in Johannesburg today (Thursday) for a two-day visit to South Africa, the British High Commission said.
Baldwin is set to hold talks with senior South African government officials, the business sector and civil society to discuss the UK-SA bilateral relationship, regional African issues, as well as trade and investment.
South Africa is closely monitoring the Brexit developments in the UK and the impact of these on trade and investment as the UK tries to negotiate a deal to leave the European Union.
Spokesperson for the British High Commission, Isabel Potgieter, said Baldwin would also visit a school to see first-hand how investment from the development finance institution the Commonwealth Development Corporation, was supporting digital infrastructure to give children access to vital education material.
CDC is a private sector investment arm of the UK's Department for International Development. The investment into a local school was made through South African digital company Comsol and is assisting 200 schools and health clinics across the country.
In a statement Baldwin said the UK valued its partnership with South Africa because “we both share the drive for a better and more secure world, speaking out on issues that affect everyone such as poverty, climate change and security.
"South African leadership is crucial internationally. South Africa has one of the largest economies in sub-Saharan Africa and plays an important role in regional institutions such as the African Union. It is the only African member of the G20 and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa)," Baldwin said.
"We are working closely with South Africa during their membership of the UN Security Council in 2019-20. We are cooperating closely on African issues, particularly on the current situation in Zimbabwe and the recent elections in DRC, as well as promoting the UN agenda on Women, Peace and Security."
Potgieter said Baldwin was looking forward to meeting with Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Luwellyn Landers before travelling to Mozambique.
Baldwin was appointed Minister of State for Africa at the foreign and commonwealth office and Minister of State at the Department for International Development on 9 January 2018.
- African News Agency (ANA)
