Economic and trade relations between Brazil and South Africa need to be strengthened, insisted Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, and her Brazilian counterpart Aloysio Nunes Ferreira following a bilateral meeting held in Pretoria, South Africa, on Monday. Nunes Ferreira, who has been recently appointed as Brazil’s new Minister of Foreign Relations, concluded in the South African capital city one week of diplomatic engagement in Southern Africa, where he also visited Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, and Mozambique. In Mozambique, which is an important partner for Brazil in the region due its Portuguese heritage, as well as Malawi, the Brazilian minister signed a number of economic agreements and memoranda of understandings on various issues, such a visas, social security, or technical training, among others. Nunes Ferreira’s visit has been interpreted by analysts as a sign of Brazil’s growing interest in developing deeper cooperation ties with Africa. In a communiqué issued ahead of the minister’s trip to Africa, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations underlined that Brazil’s interest in the continent has already manifested in various cooperation initiatives, in particular in terms of trade and investment. “The visit reaffirms these ties and opens up prospects for cooperation with...