South Africa and Kenya Sign Four Bilateral Agreements on Trade, Tourism and Security
South Africa and Kenya have signed four new bilateral agreements during Kenyan President William Ruto's three-day State Visit to Pretoria, bringing the total number of agreements between the two countries to 32. International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola announced the deals, which are aimed at deepening ties and boosting both nations' tourism sectors. Kenya is South Africa's largest African trading partner outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Lamola highlighted the impact of the 2022 reciprocal visa-free agreement, which grants nationals of both countries up to 90 days' visa-free access, describing it as having improved tourism flows in both directions "by a huge number" and citing it as a model for "how regional, well-managed and planned regional migration can work."
The agreements build on a growing bilateral relationship that spans trade, investment, and people-to-people connectivity. Lamola used the occasion to address concerns around migration, drawing a clear distinction between legal cross-border movement and irregular immigration. "The South African public are welcoming, peace-loving people, who want to work with everyone on the continent," he said, adding that the government was dealing decisively with irregular and illegal migration through law enforcement channels rather than through private action. The State Visit reflects the increasing strategic importance of the South Africa-Kenya corridor as a driver of intra-African trade and tourism across the continent.
Source: eNCA News
