 The last one I want to make is on the agriculture, agri-related products and food processing, which include fertilizers, farm equipment, sugar refineries, and more importantly, research and development in agriculture technologies, which has been the four companies could also seek to access Africa and access the lucrative markets around the world through various preferential trade agreements signed by South Africa. Before I conclude, I would like to share, I was at Davos, I came this morning and had the opportunity to meet President Paul Kagame from Rwanda, and he was mentioning that there's a discussion going on about a unique identity program for all the Africans, 1.2 billion population, 53 member nations. And Excellency, I must share with you that India has rolled out the largest unique identity program of 1.3 billion citizens. And through that, subsidies are going directly into the bank account of the beneficiaries. This has been passionately led by the honorable prime minister. And I would sincerely encourage to use this platform and this model, and I'm sure on government-to-government basis, India will be very happy to support the African countries in this endeavor. We look forward to working with the governments of both the countries, not only to facilitate bilateral cooperation, but more importantly, people-to-people connect as well. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Mittal. I now request his Excellency, Mr. Cyril Ramfosa, honorable president of the Republic of South Africa, to give his special address. Your Excellency, in many, many ways, creating solutions, creating systems and processes that are repositioning our two countries in many, many ways. South Africa and India have a partnership that spends two centuries, dating as far back as 1860. Ours is a relationship embedded in history, a history of shared struggle and common colonial subjugation. This partnership is now anchored in common values and a shared vision of social and economic emancipation of our people. In the two decades since the first visit to India by the father of our nation, President Nelson Mandela, our countries have worked to transform a relationship forged in struggle into a relationship that is a partnership for peace and economic prosperity. The commitment to achieve this goal is articulated in the Red Fort Declaration of Strategic Partnership between our two countries, which was also signed by President Nelson Mandela as well. In reference to the significance of this declaration, President Nelson Mandela said, the Red Fort Declaration serves as a clarion call for the developing world to mobilize resources in support of a new agenda at economic development and growth, harmony, and unity amongst nations of the South. It was a vision that recognized the interdependence and common destiny of the countries on the periphery of global economic activity. This call to action is as relevant today as it was when it was signed 22 years ago. We can be pleased that we have made inroads in creating a place for countries of this global South in the international community. Today, India and South Africa cooperate in multilateral formations such as BRICS, IPSA, G20, the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation, and many others. As we enter a new era of this partnership, we should strive to forge a developmental path paved with pragmatism and a renewed sense of purpose because the challenges that we face have become greater and much more complex and they require a resolve that is at a higher level. We continue to face great levels of poverty, inequality, underdevelopment, and unemployment, particularly amongst the women and the youth of our respective countries. We are confronted with significant changes brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution as it continues to unfold. We have to contend with rapid environmental challenges which threaten our biodiversity and agricultural production. We have to increase our production capacity while taking into account the changing and increasing unstable nature of the international trading environment. However, while these rapid changes create challenges, we must not be blinded to the opportunities that lie behind and in the midst of such difficulties. There remain many unexplored opportunities that can propel us to a better tomorrow. South Africa and India have complementarities as well as comparative advantages which can be exploited for mutual benefit, particularly in areas such as trade, investment, technical exchanges, in information and communications technology, skills development, in areas such as agriculture, and in number of many others. India is an important destination for South African exports and is our fourth largest global market for goods. I'm pleased to note the steady increase in trade between our respective countries from 80 billion South African rands to 107 billion South African rands over a five-year period from 2013 to 2017. This progress is the result of the broadening economic space for bilateral trade, increased competitiveness in our respective industries, in our strategic cooperation in fora such as BRICS which have targeted programs for increasing trade and investments amongst our countries. I welcome the current initiatives by our respective ministers of trade to increase bilateral trade and explore sector-specific collaboration to boost our manufacturing and trade relations with a particular emphasis on increasing trade in value-added goods and services. South Africa's investment relationship with India has also deepened with more than 150 Indian firms that are now operating in the South African space, employing well over 20,000 South Africans. Companies such as Tata, SIPLA, and Mahindra have found a home in South Africa. We recognize and appreciate the DENTA resources investment of $1.6 billion in the Khamisbek Zink mine in the Northern Cape province of our country of which $400 million has already been spent. This investment by DENTA has triggered a new wave of industrial and economic development in that part of our country which has been bereft of investment for quite a long time. Untapped opportunities still remain in sectors such as agriculture and agro-processing. Also in the automotive sector, the pharmaceutical sector where India is leading, aerospace and defense industries, infrastructure, energy, ICT, electronics, metals and mining, creative industries, and the ocean economy. We successfully hosted the inaugural South African Investment Conference last year and we're heartened by the commitment shown to South Africa's development by companies from India and elsewhere. As government, we are cognizant of the need to intensify our effort to create an enabling environment for business to thrive. To this end, we have finalized a new mining charter and have provided a detailed plan on the country's future energy requirements. Our ministers of mining as well as energy are here to answer and address any issues in this regard because here lies a number of opportunities for those who would want to invest. We have also signed a number of renewable energy supply agreements to address challenges in a sector that is critical for our economy's growth. We are taking policy certainty as well as consistency very seriously and we act decisively and with speed whenever concerns are raised about these matters. We remain steadfast in our commitment to attain the goals set out in Africa's socioeconomic development blueprint, Agenda 2063. Africa is a continent of great opportunity. We are therefore encouraged by India's commitment to the development of the African continent through the India Africa Forum. This forum must embolden Indian companies to form partnerships with South Africa's financial institutions and the private sector to jointly collaborate on projects that can build Africa's productive capacity and infrastructure. We recently hosted the Africa Investment Forum championed by the Africa Development Bank to raise capital and accelerate investment to transform Africa's economic, agricultural and industrial sectors. The outcome of this forum was a portfolio of investment projects throughout the African continent that are ready for partnerships with global investors including those from India. We have also signed the agreement on the Africa Continental Free Trade Area which will promote intra-Africa trade and create large economies of scale, a bigger market and improve the continent's prospects to attract investment. It is our desire to see Indian companies that are investing in South Africa also benefiting from the vast opportunities that this agreement will bring. We recognize and appreciate the reforms undertaken by India on improving the investment environment which will encourage more South African companies to enter the Indian market. And as we speak, a number of South African companies have shown great interest in investing in the Indian market and we brought with us a fairly large business delegation from South Africa composed of people who are willing to look at the Indian market with greater interest as a result of these reforms that you have affected. We currently have 29 South African companies invested here and wish to double this number in the coming years. South African firms with a presence in India include Sanlam, Live Health Care, Momentum, the Airports Company of South Africa, Festrand Bank, Old Mutual and Naspers and many others. I have brought with me as I said, this delegation, a cross section of South African companies that are looking for opportunities in this country. This is in line with the policy decision we took during BRICS Summit held in South Africa in 2018 that we will pursue investment-led trade amongst BRICS member countries. Trade that is led by investment is where our future growth lies. Where our investments go, our exports follow in the form of capital equipment, agro-processed goods and ICT services amongst others. I am very pleased with the outcomes of the deliberations held today between our respective business people and I'm looking forward to announcements of South African investments in India as I'm also looking forward to new and further Indian investments in South Africa. Let us take these commitments forward to build a prosperous South Africa as well as a prosperous India with opportunities for all our people. I thank you. Thank you, Excellency. Now I request the Honorable Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modiji, to please address the gathering. The President of the Republic of South Africa, Excellency, Mr. Siril Ramaphosa, leaders of the corporate world from India and South Africa, ladies and gentlemen. Namaskar. I'm delighted to be here with you all at the India-South Africa Business Forum. We are deeply honored to have with us Excellency, Mr. President. It is a matter of great privilege that you will be the guest of honor at our 70th Republic Day Parade tomorrow. Our partnership spans the unbreakable bonds of history that have linked the national movements of India and South Africa. Now our partnership is about a shared and prosperous future which realize the dreams of Madiba and Mahatma for our people. We seek constantly to engage and collaborate for a better future for our people and also the world. We've sealed a strategic partnership 20 years, 22 years ago through the Red Fort Declaration. I believe that continuous dialogue between the two old friends and partners has brought us closer in every way. We remain steadfast in our commitment for closure cooperation bilaterally as well as multilaterally. In recent times, there are new beginnings and interesting growth stories between two old friends. Trade between India and South Africa is on the upswing and has caused the $10 billion mark in 2017-18. Two major businesses initiatives in 2018 have helped us along. One was the India-South Africa Business Summit held in Johannesburg in April 2018. The other was invested in India Business Forum also in Johannesburg in November 2018. However, there is great potential still. I call upon all Indian and South African government agencies, investment promotion organizations, as well as business leaders of both countries to work proactively to realize the true potential. I was pleased to see that there has been significant participation and presence from African countries in our states. In my earlier role as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, I was happy to welcome prominent partners from South Africa. It is gratifying that the vibrant gurus are last week once again welcome our friends and partners from South Africa in large numbers. One day was specifically marked as Africa Day. This shows that our bonds are much deeper than we generally realize. It's also wonderful for our bilateral economic partnership. Ladies and gentlemen, India's economy currently at 2.6 trillion dollars in the fastest growing major economy of the world. And we are on our way to becoming the fifth largest economy globally. India has jumped to the 77th position in the latest edition of World Bank's Egypt Doing Business Report, improving 65 places in the last four years. We are one of the top FDI destinations listed by Angkar, but we are not satisfied. On a daily basis, we are making necessary changes and reforms in important sectors of the economy. Our special programs such as Make in India, Digital India and Startup India have caught the imagination of the world. Our industry has progressed towards industry, 4.0 and other innovative technology, including artificial intelligence, 3D printing, robotics. Our government is making all efforts to increase the living standards of our 1.3 billion people who form one sixth of the humanity. We are committed to building a new India with next generation infrastructure and with emphasis on speed, scale and scale. May I also take this opportunity to congratulate you. Excellency on the various dynamic initiatives launched by you in 2018 towards your vision of the new South Africa. We wish you well in your efforts to attract foreign direct investment into South Africa as well as for the creation of over one million jobs for the youth in three years. I'm happy that India is contributing to these objectives. Our investment into South Africa is constantly growing. This has approached 10 billion dollars creating over 20,000 jobs locally. As a brotherly nation, India will be happy to share its experience in policy reforms and setting up ground level agencies. We encourage even more investment by Indian companies in South Africa and are confident that more South African companies will also enter the Indian market. I assure you that New India would welcome you to look at all available opportunities, particularly in food and agro processing. Deep mining, defense, fintech, insurance and infrastructure sectors. Likewise, India could also partner with South Africa in startups, healthcare and pharma, biotech, IT and IT enabled sectors. We are delighted to be a part of the South Africa skills story through the recent launch of the Gandhi Mandela Skills Institute. This initiative seeks to empower the youth. Another important collaboration between our two countries could be in the gems and jewelry sector. Both countries could explore avenues for direct procurement of diamonds. It will ensure economies of scale and also reduce the cost for both buyers and sellers. South Africa could also join hands with India in our campaign for new and renewable energy, specifically through the International Solar Alliance. Simplification of the existing visa regime for businessmen and tourists and direct connectivity would further each business and people-to-people exchanges. Ladies and gentlemen, there is huge untapped potential in the India-South Africa partnership. We must work together for a new era of shared growth and prosperity for the benefit of our two countries and peoples. The visit of your Acccellency provides us with a vital opportunity to take this relationship forward. I am committed, Acccellency, to work shoulder to shoulder with you in this shared endeavor. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Acccellency. And finally, to propose a vote of thanks, I invite Dr. Mandela Ganchu, Chairman, Saasal Limited. Apologies, your Acccellency. I was distracted by my colleague next to me. Your Excellency, Prime Minister Modiji, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Your Excellency, President Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, Honorable Ministers from the Government of India who are here present, Honorable Ministers from the Government of South Africa who are here present with us, Mr. Sandip Somali, President of Fiki, or FICCI, Mr. Rakesh Bhakti, Vital, President, Confederation of Indian Industries and Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, Mr. Vinat Agawal, Vice President of Asocam, India, members of the diplomatic community community, officials from the Indian and South African governments, esteemed members of the Indian and South African business delegation who are here present today. And ladies and gentlemen, namaste. My name is Mandela Ghanjo, Mandela sees with Vulintlaela Ghanjo, an entrepreneur in the financial services space, but also chairman of the Board of Sassel Ltd., chairman of the Board of Kumba IONO and chairman of Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. On behalf of the business delegations from India as well as delegations from South Africa, and in my own name, I want to thank His Excellency, Prime Minister Modiji, and also his government and the people of India for the warm hospitality that we enjoyed since our arrival in this great city and country in India. Your Excellencies allow me to give a bit more substance to the report that has already been provided to you on the outcomes of the deliberations that took place this morning as well as the early this afternoon. Three groups were convened and tasked to focus on three topics. One exploring trade and investment opportunities in the mining and energy sectors. Two advancing South Africa, India collaboration in services and infrastructure development. And three leveraging investment opportunities in the agro-businesses processing and advanced manufacturing sectors. The three panel discussions were followed by three powerful presentations. First on trade and investment in South Africa by Ms. Pumzile Langeni, the South African Presidential Investment Envoy, and she declared with evidence and confidence that South Africa is the most attractive investment destination in the world under the leadership of His Excellency President Ramaphosa and his cabinet. Secondly, on trade and investment in India by Mr. Vivek Somi, Abraham, co-head global investor outreach, invest in India, among other key messages that he conveyed to us. He confirmed what His Excellency the Prime Minister said earlier that India is the fastest growing economy in the world. So you have your fastest growing economy in the world. You have the most attractive investment destination in the world. What more can you ask for? There are synergies that are there that can be harnessed by all of us. But he also made the point and conveyed the message that in India, for example, in fact it was an example that impressed all of us, that you can start a company and register a company in one day without even expending a single piece of paper. And I thought that was quite interesting in terms of an enabling environment that you will find in this country. Third, there was a presentation by Mr. Anil Agawal, CEO of Vedanta Resources, a true friend of South Africa, ladies and gentlemen, presenting a case or testimonial, if you like, for investing in South Africa from the perspective of an Indian foreign direct investor into South Africa. Mr. Agawal testified that the ease of doing business in South Africa, including initially securing all necessary permits within a period of six months. Now, permits take time because you have certain things to prove as a businessman that your business case is viable. And they played their part and our government was able, therefore, to issue all those permits, including water use licenses and mining licenses and so on and so forth, within six months. Their messages were consistent, ladies and gentlemen, and your experiences with earlier discussions by business leaders from the two countries. Now, let me just give you highlights of the discussions that took place amongst the business delegations from India as well as South Africa. The overriding objective of the discussions from the perspective of both delegations was to broaden and deepen economic ties between South Africa and India. Secondly, it was to highlight key factors that render South Africa an attractive investment destination and trading partner for Indian investors and businesses and also vice versa. We took the opportunity to listen to the Indians, telling us exactly why India is also an attractive destination for investment by South African companies, so that then the vision of our leaders, that increased trade should be investment-led, can be met. By way of background, I think your excellencies have already summarized the key contextual salient facts regarding India, South Africa, the economic activity bilateral trade that takes place between these two countries, so I will not deal with those. We furthermore noted that the last South Africa-India business summit was held in Centen in April 2018, and that was to mark 25 years since the resumption of normal diplomatic and trade relations between India and South Africa. And your excellencies, just so that you know, when we meet with a plan to implement what we talk about, we reviewed the outcomes that were made from those discussions that took place in South Africa in April last year. So we structured and I will give a sense of what were the follow-up steps that were implemented from those discussions before I give a little bit more insight on new commitments that we have made. So today's group discussions were structured firstly to note the momentum that had been established in previous engagements between business leaders from our two respective countries, and in this regard we specifically reviewed progress made in implementing the eight MOUs that were signed at the South Africa-India CEO Forum held in July 2016. To mention but a few examples, we noted the good progress that has been made in implementing the agreement signed by SAAB, Green Tech Defense, and TATA, a power for the production of land electronic defense systems in India. An MOU also between pioneer global enterprises of India and AMSCO to produce ultrasonic broken railway detector systems for Indian railways with an emphasis on technology transfer. And lastly, the MOU signed between the Dube Trade Port in Devon, South Africa, and CIPLA, India to set up a biosimilar plant in the special export zone to produce cheaper pharmaceutical drugs for domestic and export supply. And of course this particular MOU is not yet fully in fact implemented. There is a change of strategy but the parties are still very much committed to the commitments that they made in those particular MOUs and there will be some positive movement in this front in the near future. And then the delegations focused on a number of key specific opportunities that they wanted to identify along the following key sectoral focus areas. In the mining and energy group, discussions chaired by Dashini Naidu, panelists and participants noted South Africa's endowment with key mineral commodities that are critically important for sustainable development in India. Ion ore and manganese ores, for example, South Africa, is well endowed with those kinds of ores. And we know that India is fast expanding and growing and requires a lot of still production and manufacturing. And we thought you could use these ores that are of high quality that come from our country or excellencies. We recognize this as the business delegations. We could use these to mitigate the harmful emissions that are involved in these processes because the more you use higher quality ore, either iron ore or manganese, the less you need to use of very harmful inputs into the production of steel. And also your plants are more efficient and more productive. India noted the competitive advantage that both countries have in coal and developing and deploying technology to reduce harmful emissions. And this involved examples were specifically mentioned, building supercritical power plants, coal fired power plants and also sequestrating some of the harmful emissions that come out of the processes. However, delegates stressed the growing importance of the role played by renewable energy in the energy mix with India generating a huge part of its energy mix from clean sources of energy. And we thought there is hope there for us to learn lessons of experience and in order for us to replicate them in South Africa. The need to develop up and downstream value chains using technology, specifically mineral and many mineral beneficiaries in the energy and mineral sectors, leveraging each other's experiences and knowledge. Those were common discussions and cross-cutting threads in the deliberations that took place. We presented examples of partnerships in action and noted the following among others. India is now the third largest consumer of steel globally, as I have said, and therefore there is a case for us to use each other's comparative advantages, as the Excellency Ramaphosa mentioned. And Indian Corporate is also partnering with local entrepreneurs, for example, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa to supply technology parts for South African iron ore and other mineral resources. On each part, South Africa has made significant technological advances in the production of synthetic fuels and specialty chemicals. As such, South African largest integrated chemicals and energy group called Sassol Limited is engaged in exploratory discussions with several larger petrochemical players in India, such as the Indian oil, Opal, Issa oil, now Nihara, to among others form JV partnerships on polypropylene polypropylene expansions linked to refinery expansions and associated cracker plants that need to be developed in order to get to produce derivatives. As such, Sassol will be establishing your Excellency's representative office by April of this year here in India, based in Mumbai. Lastly, within the context of the fourth industrial resolution, there is tremendous potential to improve mining safety, enhance productivity, reduce costs, and reduce environmental impact through technological innovation, and to further share this between these two countries for mutual benefit. The second discussion group was on advances collaboration in services and infrastructure. Excellent. Okay, let me do that. And as I say, we have already communicated the outcomes of the reports to our Excellencies, but I just want to end by saying in the discussions on leveraging investment opportunities in the agro-businesses, we identified the very strong need for us to leverage technology in such a way that we improve the health of our societies, the health of our economies, as well as the health of our environment. And specific examples of what we can do together there were indeed discussed. Your Excellencies, these are just some of the highlights of what we discussed. And let me quickly go to the conclusion that I had summarized for you. It is gratifying your Excellencies to report that a number of opportunities and follow-up actions have indeed been identified. It was furthermore pleasing to note the alignment of both delegations towards building partnerships that are not only profitable from a financial perspective, but are also sustainable for a social and environmental sustainability perspective. We expressed the confidence, your Excellencies, that the next time we meet, we will again be able to report to you the concrete steps that we have taken as business delegations to implement all the resolutions that we came to. Just finally on vote of thanks, I end by expressing a profound appreciation. Thank you very much. Thank you, Dr. Gancho. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, that concludes this special plenary session of the India-South Africa Business Forum. We thank our honorable dignitaries for their valuable words and for gracing the occasion. I request all of you to please remain in your places till our dignitaries on the days leave the hall. You're all invited for tea, which is now being served at the back of this hall, which will also be an opportunity for all of you to connect and network. Thank you once again. I'm Sukanya Balakrishnan. Goodbye.