On 14 November Minister-president Geert Bourgeois had a meeting with Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa. President Ramaphosa was in Brussels for a working visit to the European Union, and for the EU-South-Africa Summit on 15 November.

During their meeting, the Minister-president underlined the importance Flanders attaches to a stable, prosperous and democratic South Africa. He thanked President Ramaphosa for the strong and constructive cooperation between South Africa and Flanders during the past decades.

The cooperation in trade, investment and innovation was also discussed. The Minister-president proposed a close exchange with the Flemish knowledge centers, a cooperation within the framework of European funds such as HorizonEurope, and to explore the possibility of investments in the blue economy and industry 4.0.

President Ramaphosa emphasized the importance of the cooperation with Flanders as a reliable partner and called the earlier mentioned sectors crucial, also for further investments in the future of South Africa.

They agreed to continue the cooperation actively and concretely. Minister-President Bourgeois invited the South African government to a working visit to the Flemish research centers.