Thokozile Mnguni
A warm ceremonial welcome at the Union Buildings set the tone as President Cyril Ramaphosa hosted Kenyan President William Ruto on a reciprocal state visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between South Africa and Kenya.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said the visit reflects long-standing friendship, shared values and a common commitment to African development.
“It is a profound honour and a personal joy to welcome President Ruto and the Kenyan delegation to South Africa. This Reciprocal State Visit is a celebration of the friendship and solidarity that binds our two nations.” Ramaphosa said.
He said relations between the two countries are rooted in democracy, peace and a shared vision for prosperity across the continent.
“Ours is a relationship rooted in shared values, mutual respect and a common vision for democracy, peace and prosperity across Africa,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the visit builds on his State Visit to Kenya in November 2022, as well as ongoing engagements through the South Africa–Kenya Joint Commission for Cooperation.
He said both countries, as leading African economies, play a key role in advancing continental integration, industrialisation and inclusive growth.
“I welcome the successful convening of the 7th Session of the South Africa–Kenya Joint Trade Committee in Pretoria this April,” he said.
“These discussions reaffirmed our shared commitment to building a balanced and mutually beneficial trade relationship under the African Continental Free Trade Area,” he added.
Ramaphosa said progress has been made in addressing trade imbalances, reducing barriers and strengthening regional value chains between the two countries.
He said cooperation is also expanding into new and emerging sectors, including green energy, climate-smart industrialisation, digital trade, artificial intelligence, maritime cooperation, e-mobility and skills development.
“We look forward to finalising several strategic memoranda of understanding during this visit. These will cover agriculture, tourism, ICT, energy, transport and maritime cooperation,” he said.
“These agreements will deepen our collaboration and provide practical benefits for our citizens,” he added.
President William Ruto thanked South Africa for the invitation and said the visit builds on years of strengthened engagement between the two countries.
“Today, we celebrate some of the achievements of your visit to Kenya,” Ruto said.
“I remember visiting this great country when I came to address the Pan African Parliament,” he added.
“I have witnessed this relationship grow since then,” he said.
Ruto said the global environment is increasingly uncertain, with weakening multilateral systems placing pressure on developing economies.
“We are in a very uncertain geopolitical position. We have weakening multilateralism,” Ruto said.
“This continues to exert pressure on our developing economies,” he added.
Ruto said this environment calls for deeper cooperation between African states, particularly major regional economies.
“This calls on us to explore deeper engagement between our countries,” he said.
Ruto said South Africa and Kenya are key economies in their respective regions, with significant potential to deepen integration and expand trade.
“There is room to deepen integration between our economies. This will help deliver benefits for the people of both countries,” he added.
Ruto welcomed progress towards elevating bilateral relations into a strategic partnership framework.
“And against that background, the conclusion of additional agreements in trade facilitation, maritime cooperation, gender equality and women empowerment, and technical and vocational training in arts, culture and sports is an important milestone for this visit,” he said.
“These agreements will add momentum and value as we sign them,” he concluded.