By OBAKENG MAJE

Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and the Minister of Knowledge Economy, Start-ups and
Micro-Enterprises of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Yacine El Mahdi Oualid, have today signed a Declaration of Intent
on co-operation in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Ndabeni-Abrahams said within the framework of this declaration, the two countries will establish formal institutional arrangements to promote cooperation in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation. She further said, the declaration will promote collaboration and partnership in the areas of policy, institutional, regulatory and operational levels with the aim of developing the start-up
ecosystem in both countries.

“It also seeks to foster partnerships among relevant government agencies, regulatory bodies, industrial or business organisations, as well as academic and professional spheres, as part of promoting and strengthening the level of knowledge in start-ups. The two parties will jointly facilitate knowledge-sharing and capacity-building programmes in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation.

“The two countries will create platforms that will bring together innovators, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders from both countries. Both will contribute to international events held in either country in the field of entrepreneurship,” said Ndabeni-Abrahams.

She added that, a joint committee, comprising of representatives from both countries, will be
established and charged with the responsibility to oversee the implementation of this Declaration of Intent. According to Ndabeni-Abrahams, the joint committee meetings will be held alternately in the Republic of Algeria and Republic of South Africa.

“This cooperation between the two ministries, will further strengthen the strong bilateral
relations between the two countries. The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, that took place over two days (13 and 14 March 2024) at the Cape Town International Convention Centre,” she said.

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