IRELAND: Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has held talks with South African deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who completes a three-day visit to Ireland today.
On a trip largely devoted to business and education links between the two countries, Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka also met Tánaiste Michael McDowell, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, Minister for Education Mary Hanafin and Minister of State for Development Co-operation Conor Lenihan yesterday.
Earlier, she paid a courtesy call to President Mary McAleese in Áras an Uachtaráin.
In the afternoon, she attended a private seminar in Dublin to discuss what South Africa can learn from Ireland's recent economic success. The seminar was chaired by Dr Frank Barry of UCD's school of economics.
Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka (51), who was accompanied by a large delegation, has expressed interest in learning at first hand about the economic experience of Ireland over the past decade, especially job creation and the contribution of the Irish education system towards fostering economic growth.
In particular, she sought Irish co-operation on a number of major infrastructural and skills programmes set up to tackle unemployment and poverty in South Africa.
Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka, who has special responsibility for driving the country's economic development, also discussed the possibility of sending South African graduates to Ireland for courses that would help transform them into skilled public servants.
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