The Premier of Limpopo, Mr Cassel Mathale, has jetted off to India on an investment mission.

In a press statement, Mathale called on the private sector in India to invest and grab opportunities in infrastructure development in Limpopo.

Mathale was addressing the seventh conclave on the India-Africa Project Partnership in New Delhi, India. The conclave is a platform for companies in India and Africa to form strong bilateral and multilateral partnerships to launch business ventures. More than 37 African countries attended the two-day meeting.

Mathale highlighted the opportunities presented by the province’s ongoing development of the transport infrastructure and the development of the ICT sector. "The province is currently planning to roll out broadband in all five its districts of Limpopo. India is one of the leading countries in the field of IT and is seen as an exceptional potential role player," he said.

Mathale also called on investors to seize opportunities prevailing in the mining sector. Mathale, together with the MEC for Economic Development Environment and Tourism, Mr Pitsi Moloto, also held a meeting with the largest coal producer in the world, Coal India Limited, for talks on the exploration of coal in Limpopo.

Meanwhile, the MEC for Agriculture, Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, has addressed the conclave session on agriculture capacity building, where she called on nations to pay attention to skills development and the mechanisation of the agricultural sector. Currently, the Asian agricultural sector is seven times more mechanised than its African counterpart. Letsatsi-Duba said in a statement that African countries must take advantage of the special partnership established between India and Africa to mechanise and improve agriculture on the continent.

peratives that should help the farmers to get their produce to the market. Duba visited the province of Punjab to get firsthand experience on how cooperatives in the agricultural sector of India successfully support the smallholding farmers.