President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has announced his intention to expand the country’s relations with the countries of the African Union.
“It was during my term that the first Strategy for the Development of Ukraine’s Relations with African States was approved. Dialogue with all countries of the continent will be intensified. The Special Representative of Ukraine for African Affairs will also start working in the near future,” Zelensky said, speaking via video link at a meeting of the Bureau of the Assembly of the African Union on Monday.
On his instructions, the first regional tour of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in the history of the Ukrainian state is being prepared for the states of Sub-Saharan Africa, the President said. According to Zelensky, he also initiates visits to African countries by representatives of the Verkhovna Rada.
“I invite you to visit our country now to renew our bilateral ties. And I propose to start preparing, with our common willingness, a large political and economic conference ‘Ukraine – Africa,” the president said.
He recalled that “many countries of the African Union know Ukraine well economically and in the field of education.” “Our ties are really very ancient. Our specialists built enterprises in your countries back in Soviet times. Your students studied at our universities and are studying now,” Zelensky said.
“Until February 24, more than 300 Ukrainian blue helmets performed tasks within six UN missions. And our national contingent, including the 18th Separate Helicopter Detachment, was an important part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And it is on this basis of the relationship that has existed for many, many years that we must build a new political history, ” he said.
“If it wasn’t for the Russian war, you would be in a completely different position now – completely safe. That is why, in order to avoid famine, the efforts of states like Russia to return to the aggressive policy of colonialism must end, ” Zelensky said.
Ukraine and Egypt are discussing the possibility of joint production between enterprises and export to the African market, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Republic of Egypt Ayman Ahmed Mokhtar Elgammal has said in an exclusive interview to Interfax-Ukraine.
Egypt is a member of a number of free trade areas in African and Arab countries, he said. The official added that, for example, they invited the Ukrainian government to invest in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone).
According to the ambassador, Ukrainian enterprises will be able to manufacture products in Egypt and benefit from Egyptian free trade agreements in the region.
This will also be the topic of a meeting of the intergovernmental technical committee in June, he added.
At the same time, he clarified that so far no proposals have been received from Ukrainian companies on investments in SCZone.
At the same time, various organizations in Ukraine, in particular Ukrmashbud and its member companies, have asked to open their representative offices in Egypt for the joint production of high-tech goods of heavy engineering, the ambassador said.
Bolt, a ride-hailing service, has raised EUR 20 million of investment from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to increase access to mobility services in Eastern Europe (including Ukraine) and Africa (Nigeria and South Africa), the press service of the company reported on Thursday.
“Technology can and should unlock new pathways for sustainable development… Our investment in Bolt aims to help tap in to technology to disrupt the transport sector in a way that is good for the environment… and provides safer and more affordable transportation access in emerging markets,” IFC Chief Operating Officer Stephanie von Friedeburg said in a statement.
“We are looking forward to partnering with IFC to further support entrepreneurship… and increase access to affordable mobility services in Africa and Eastern Europe. Together with the investment from the European Investment Bank last year, we are proud to have sizeable and strategically important institutions backing us and recognising the strategic value Bolt is providing to emerging economies,” Bolt CEO Markus Villig said.
In Ukraine, Bolt ride-hailing service was launched in summer 2018.
KSG Agro agricultural holding in 2020 increased export of agricultural products to African and Asian markets by 46%, to 7,770 tonnes, the holding’s press service has said.
“Last year, we expanded our presence in export African and Asian markets. In the context of the quarantine crisis, the issue of diversifying supplies and expanding the range of products supplied is especially acute,” Serhiy Kasyanov, the head of the board of directors of KSG Agro, said.
According to the agricultural holding, in 2020, the export of wheat flour to Libya increased by 3.6 times compared to 2019, to 3,000 tonnes.
It is clarified that KSG Agro exported 172 tonnes of sugar to Libya, 4,000 tonnes of corn to Malaysia, 600 tonnes of barley to Oman.
KSG Agro is a vertically integrated holding. It is engaged in pig breeding, production, storage, processing and sale of grain and oilseeds.
For the nine months of 2020, the agricultural holding received $ 4.77 million in net profit, which is 52% less than in the same period in 2019, revenue decreased by 17%, to $ 14.67 million.
Deputy Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva and South Africa Ambassador Andre Johannes Groenewald discussed the further development of the bilateral cooperation.
“The parties identified the priority steps to intensify the political dialogue between the two countries and discussed the further schedule of high-level contacts, taking into account the development of the epidemiological situation in the world,” the press service of the President’s Office said.
During the meeting, Zhovkva spoke about the importance of further deepening economic cooperation and noted that Ukraine considers South Africa as one of the most promising trade partners in Africa.
The importance of closer and more constructive interaction between Ukraine and South Africa under its non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council was also emphasized.
“During the meeting, a number of other issues of a bilateral nature were also discussed, including the interaction of the two countries in the fight against the [coronavirus] COVID-19 pandemic and the modalities of the early evacuation of Ukrainian citizens from South Africa,” the presidential press service said.
Zhovkva congratulated the South African Ambassador on Nelson Mandela International Day, which is annually celebrated on the birthday of the politician.
First Ukrainian Apples Producers aggregation platform (USPA FRUIT) jointly with USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine start a joint initiative entitled “the Fruits Expansion to the Countries of the Middle East and Africa,” under which Ukrainian fresh fruit producers will receive help to enter new markets. According to a press release of the USPA FRUIT platform, under the initiative trade and economic missions for companies-members of the platform to the Middle East and Africa will be organized. Ukrainian producers will also have access to market analytics, which in the future will help them conclude deals for the supply of fresh fruits (apples, cherries, blueberries), increase export sales and create new jobs.
“Establishing stable supplies will be preceded by a detailed study of the Middle East and Africa markets, which will help USPA FRUIT identify priority exports, develop and implement pricing and marketing policies for each country in the region, which in turn will create competitive entry and consolidation in these markets. Within the project, USPA FRUIT aggregation platform organizes trade and economic missions to Egypt, Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, what will help to establish program supplies of fresh fruits from Ukraine,” USPA FRUIT said.
Fresh fruits from the USPA FRUIT aggregation platform have been presented in the UAE market for three years already, but there are still many opportunities for development within the markets of the Middle East and Africa.
