Oscar Mabuyane

Thank you very much. - Madam President of the Parliament! Minister President! Ministers! Honourable members of the Lower Saxony Parliament! Esteemed friends and colleagues! Distinguished guests! Good Morning! Today, I stand before you not only as the Premier of the Eastern Cape but also as testament to the enduring and prosperous relationship that our region has cultivated over the years with your state. It is a relationship built on mutual respect, shared values, and a common vision for the future. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the German Development Agency ‑ GIZ ‑ for their unwavering commitment to our Governance Support Programme. The generous allocation of 22.1 million euros has been instrumental in addressing the systemic challenges of the Eastern Cape, fortifying the pillars of our democracy, and enhancing the de-velopment of our people. The challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic tested our resilience, our strength, and our cooperation. Yet, through the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development, we stood tall. The donation of a modular 100-bed facility at Cecilia Makhiwane Hospital and the expansion of oxygenated beds and ICU wards were more than infrastructure - they were a lifeline to our people. As we reflect on our cooperation with Lower Saxony, we celebrate the fruitfulness of our Joint Declarations and Memorandums of Understanding across various sectors. From socio-economic development to environmental management, skills development to cultural exchanges, our partnership has blossomed. The twinning arrangements with esteemed institutions in Lower Saxony have bolstered our capabilities in vet services, agriculture, aquaculture, and beyond. These exchanges of knowledge and expertise are the building blocks for a sustainable and prosperous future. Our collaborative efforts in climate change protection, particularly the wind energy installation project, are commendable steps towards a greener and more sustainable world. The handover of the blink-water mini grind project to the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality symbolizes our shared responsibility and stewardship of the Earth, and that project has changed lives of our people. In the realm of sports, our bilateral cooperation has not only honed the skills of our athletes but also has built bridges between our cultures and people. From handball to boxing, canoeing to women‘s football, we have created platforms for talent to thrive and for unity to flourish. Our revered statesman, the late President Nelson Mandela, was correct when he said: „Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.“ We must use sport to bridge gaps between the countries and to unite the peoples of the world. Our country South Africa is currently celebrating the victorious Rugby Team, the Springboks ‑ thank you so much ‑, which recently won the Rugby World Cup in France becoming the first nation to win the cup four times. This is a moment that has brought great joy to the entire continent of Africa, and it has given hope to our people that we can overcome the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment in the continent. But we need our European partners to do that. Our trade and industrial cooperation have yielded significant investment and job creation, cementing the Eastern Cape as a pivotal region in South Africa‘s automotive sector. The contributions of companies like Volkswagen and Daimler are integral to our economic landscape and exemplify the success that is possible through international cooperation. Our motor industry, a flagship of our bilateral success, is not just an economic venture, but also a bridge that connects our people and our dreams. We must, therefore, not only preserve but also enhance this achievement. Our cooperation must also extend to technology development, granting access to world-class university training for our growing industry. Education is the cornerstone upon which we will build the Eastern Cape of tomorrow, and your expertise and academic excellence can help us lay a solid foundation. Agriculture is the lifeblood of many in the Eastern Cape, and with German efficiency and high-yield farming technology, we can revolutionize our agricultural economy, bolster food security, and create countless jobs. Our fertile lands yearn for innovation that your agricultural mastery can provide. Furthermore, our oceans beckon us to explore untapped economic landscapes. The Eastern Cape is ideally positioned to become a gateway for logistics and exports. I am confident: Through cooperation and mutual supporting interventions we can align our efforts and commit to mobilizing resources, knowledge, and political will to support developing countries like South Africa. We urge Lower Saxony, and it has been demonstrated in our cooperative agreement success stories, to take definitive steps in assisting developing nations to both mitigate the risks and manage the impacts of climate change. Concurrently, our nation grapples with the pressing challenges of youth unemployment, a sluggishly expanding economy, notable generic governance deficiencies etc. Addressing these issues necessitates a concerted effort to prepare, equip, and respond effectively, with the aim of developing skills and nurturing a workforce aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. In pursuit of these objectives, we call for increased assistance, for securing the neccessary funds to overcome our financial deficity and establishing comprehensive planning and implementation frameworks. Madam President of the Parliament, we live in a troubled world. The russian Ukraine conflict has gone on for far too long. Leaders like us must advocate for peaceful resolutions of that conflict. We must do the same for the Israel Gaza situation and call for the restoration of peace in the region, provision of aid and condemn the killing of civilians. In conclusion i extend my hand to you, partners in progress. Together let us create a legacy that transcends boundaries of land and sea, a legacy that is worthy of the aspirations of the people of the Eastern Cape and the and the citizens of Lower Saxony. Thank you very much, madam.