BOTSWANA REMAINS AN IMPORTANT PARTNER FOR MALAYSIA IN AFRICA - PM ANWAR

From Saraswathi Muniappan

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 21 (Bernama) -- Botswana remains an important partner for Malaysia in the African region, with significant investments in the republic, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

Malaysian companies’ investments in Botswana include in the automotive wiring manufacturing sector, the Limkokwing University campus in Gaborone, as well as locomotive and carriage maintenance operations, he said after receiving a courtesy call from Botswana’s Vice-President Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe today.

“He (Gaolathe) also expressed appreciation for the close cooperation through the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) and Malaysian experts that has helped strengthen Botswana’s institutional capabilities in pursuing its economic growth and public service reform agenda,” Anwar said in a statement here.

The Prime Minister said both countries have also agreed to explore new areas of cooperation for mutual benefit.

“I also conveyed my regards to President Duma Boko as a sign of friendship that continues to strengthen the relations between Malaysia and Botswana,” he said.

Both leaders also reminisced about the journey of diplomatic relations established more than three decades ago, founded on mutual trust, respect, and shared aspirations for the progress of both nations, added Anwar.

Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, Zambia to the north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast.

Anwar is currently on a visit to the African continent, with South Africa as his second stop where he will attend the Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Summit.

The Prime Minister, who is leading the Malaysian delegation, is accompanied by Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, other Malaysian government officials, and a business delegation.

-- BERNAMA