President Cyril Ramaphosa and his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron, have committed to strengthening relations between the two nations following bilateral talks at the Union Buildings on Friday.
President Ramaphosa, who hosted President Macron for a state visit in Tshwane, said discussions covered a number of issues, including the Covid-19 response, climate change, global peace and security, and their relationship.
“It is on Covid-19 that we’re feeling France’s keen support and solidarity in that they’re prepared to take the lead in advocating Africa’s case. President Macron would like to see the whole continent succeed,” he said.
It was for this reason, he said, that South Africa was willing to cooperate with France in a number of forums on multilateral levels around the world.
South Africa and France have a shared interest in ensuring that multilateral efforts are effective in ending the pandemic, speeding the resumption of international travel and commerce, accelerating economic recovery and strengthening public health systems.
“This pandemic has shown that disasters of this scale respect no borders and that no one is safe until all of us are safe.
“It is for this reason that we must accelerate our collective efforts to ensure that vaccines become a global public good and are made accessible to all countries in the shortest possible time,” said Ramaphosa.
As part of these efforts, Africa is working to develop its own vaccine production capabilities and capacity to ensure security of supply.
“While funding is key, it needs to be complemented by the transfer of technology and a commitment by international procurement agencies to buy vaccines made in Africa,” said the President.
The two leaders share a commitment to make the knowledge related to Covid-19 health technologies and products a global public good. They agreed to work towards expanding research, innovation and production beyond Covid-19 to promote public health security in Africa.
