Cooperatives leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS)

will gather in South Africa later this month and explore business opportunities, the South African Department of Trade and Industry announced Wednesday.

 

 The meeting will be hosted by South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry in partnership with South African National Apex Cooperative (SANACO) under the theme "Partnerships for Development, Integration and Industrialization through Cooperatives".

 

 "Leaders of cooperative movements from BRICS will meet in Cape Town for the third BRICS Cooperatives meeting between Oct 26 to Oct. 27, 2013," reported Xinhua citing an official statement.

 

 The forum aims to facilitate multilateral cooperation among cooperative movements in BRICS member states.

 

 "The meeting will be the first to be held in South Africa, and we are not sparing any effort to ensure that the historic occasion does not only become a success but also produce positive spin-offs for our cooperatives," said Rob Davies, the South African minister for trade and industry.