South Africa and India will jointly hold an inter-ministerial conference as well as a business meet later this month to enhance bilateral trade relations, officials said, here today.

The South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the African Union Commission and the Indian government will jointly host the third annual Africa-India Ministerial Conference and the second Africa-India Business Council Meeting from September 30 to October 1, here.

The annual meeting aims to enhance trade relations between Africa and India on the basis of mutually agreed priority areas, as well as to review the progress of the partnership in terms of commitments undertaken and implemented.

On the first day, the DTI will host the African Business Council and this will be followed by the third Africa-India Trade Ministerial meeting and Africa-India Business Council (AIBC) on October 1.

The Ministerial and the AIBC meetings are held annually and hosted on a rotational basis by both India and Africa.

Senior officials of the participating organisations will meet on September 30 as well.

“Africa-India cooperation has resulted in the development of several initiatives to support Africa’s growth and development including strengthening trade and investment linkages between India and Africa through the conclusion of trade cooperation agreements between India and African Regional Economic Communities,” South African Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, said in a statement.

Davies added that the third meeting provides South Africa and Africa with the opportunity to earmark new areas of cooperation and engagement for this partnership.

The Africa-India Ministers of Trade meeting was established as a platform for dialogue between trade ministers in 2011, Davies said.

According to Davies, Africa and India formalised their engagements through the first Africa-India Forum Summit held in New Delhi, India in 2008.

The summit resulted in the adoption of a Declaration and a Framework of Cooperation, to further strengthen ties between African countries and India.