South Africa and Mexico may link for road construction exchange programme

Date: 18/10/2011

South Africa and Mexico are in talks to implement a road construction exchange programme.

Following a meeting between the South African Transport Minister and Mexico's Secretary of Communications and Transport, the African country has welcomed Mexico's assistance.

Mexico has invested significantly in its road building schemes, hiring more than 500 new engineers this year and constructing more that 13,000 km of rural roads.

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele said: "Mexico has certainly made significant strides in the area of road building, and we would like them to share their experience and expertise with us."

In particular, he highlighted the need for South Africa to ensure that its roads are constructed to high standards with excellent quality control, as per the country's commitment to the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020.

This initiative was launched in May this year to ensure that all partner countries do their utmost to ensure the road safety of citizens.