Pretoria: The governments of Namibia and South Africa have concluded the fourth session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Pretoria, signing seven cooperation agreements aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, governance, and economic cooperation.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the agreements cover employment and labour, public administration, aviation, legal cooperation, correctional services, private sector collaboration, and gender equality and women's empowerment.

The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on employment and labour to strengthen labour practices and workforce development, as well as an MoU between South Africa's National School of Government and the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) to promote capacity building and exchanges for public officials.

Other agreements include a Bilateral Air Services Agreement to improve air connectivity, an MoU on legal cooperation, an MoU on correctional services, an agreement between the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the South Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industry to strengthen private sector collaboration, and an MoU on gender equality and women's empowerment.

The communiqu© said the two Heads of State stressed that the agreements are intended to deepen economic cooperation and support regional industrialisation. "The two Heads of State, while emphasising the paramount importance of enhanced economic cooperation between the two countries, noted that it is a strategic Public-Private Partnership platform aimed at promoting greater economic cooperation between the two countries," it said.

The Presidents directed their ministries, departments, and agencies to prepare implementation plans with clearly defined responsibilities and timelines to ensure the agreements are executed effectively. They also instructed senior officials to monitor implementation regularly and use a mid-term review mechanism to assess progress, address implementation challenges, and ensure accountability. "They further directed senior officials to monitor implementation on a regular basis and to use the mid-term review mechanism to assess progress, address impediments and ensure accountability for agreed commitments," the communiqu© said.