(Seychelles News Agency) - Botswana will assist Seychelles with capacity building and the strengthening of local institutions, State House said Saturday.

The offer of assistance was the result of a discussion between the Seychelles’ President, Danny Faure, and his counterpart from Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, State House said.

The President of Botswana, his wife Neo Masisi and his delegation were in transit in Seychelles, on their return after participating in the Forum on China Africa Cooperation Summit in Beijing. 

Faure held bilateral talks with President Masisi and the First Lady which the Seychelles’ President described as very productive. 

In welcoming the President of Botswana to the Seychelles archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, Faure said, “Your visit here today demonstrates the excellent ties of friendship between our two countries.”

On his part, President Masisi spoke of his strong personal relationship with President Faure and the willingness of Botswana to collaborate further with Seychelles in fields such as education, transport, and trade.

Seychelles and Botswana will sign a general framework of cooperation at the upcoming Extraordinary African Union Summit in November this year.

The two countries signed an agreement in September 2015 under which secondary school teachers from Seychelles can pursue a Bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Botswana. In exchange, teachers from Botswana are filling the shortage of teachers in various schools in Seychelles.

This was the second visit to Seychelles by the President of Botswana. Mokgweetsi Masisi made a one-day official visit to the island nation in May as part of his tour of the member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).