Category: Africa

New Delhi, India– As the global economy transforms, South Africa and India have a significant opportunity to deepen cooperation in investment, trade, exports, innovation, industrial development and sustainable growth, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“We are ready for a new era in economic relations between our two countries. This forum provides the private sector with an opportunity to transform policy dialogue into commercially viable projects and long-term partnerships,” the President said.

He was speaking at the South Africa-India Roundtable in New Delhi on Saturday on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

“By working together, we can draw on our complementary resources and capabilities to create shared value. We can empower our youth and uplift our communities. And we can enable a thriving trade between our countries and across our respective regions.

“The outcomes of this forum must be anchored in actionable commitments supported by both government facilitation and private sector leadership. We are ready for a new era in economic relations between our two countries,” President Ramaphosa explained.

He further pointed out that to be able to thrive amidst this rapid change requires partnership and shared ambition.

“We are meeting at a time when the global economy is undergoing a significant transformation. Supply chains are being reconfigured, industrial policies are being reshaped, and the energy transition is accelerating. Digital technologies are reshaping industries, and emerging markets are driving global growth,” the President said.

Collaboration
He highlighted a few areas where collaboration between the countries holds immense promise.

“The first of these areas is in energy transition and green industrialisation. India and South Africa are both navigating ambitious energy transitions. Opportunities exist in renewable energy technologies, green hydrogen, critical minerals, battery value chains and sustainable manufacturing. Companies like Vedanta have already established a footprint in the country.

“We believe that other large companies can anchor their investments in South Africa and use it as a base to export into Africa and the rest of the world,” he said.

The second area is in mining, critical minerals and beneficiation.
He said South Africa’s mineral wealth and India’s manufacturing capabilities create the basis for cooperation across critical mineral value chains.

“We are committed to the beneficiation of minerals where they are extracted. There is great potential to partner on the production of new energy vehicles, batteries, and other products that draw on our respective capabilities.

“The third area of collaboration is infrastructure and connectivity. Investment in transport, logistics, ports, digital connectivity, smart cities, and industrial corridors is essential to trade and integration on the African continent.

“Enhanced infrastructure enables businesses to access new markets and participate more effectively in regional and global value chains,” the President said.

Last month, South Africa hosted the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium, where government reiterated the importance of reliable energy, adequate water, efficient transport systems and digital connectivity.

READ | Infrastructure investment key to economic growth, regional integration: Ramaphosa

South Africa has identified 195 strategic integrated projects across priority industries worth more than $100 billion.

“To support this infrastructure drive, we are investing in project preparation to ensure that all these plans translate into roads, rail corridors, renewable energy plants, transmission lines, water treatment plants and hospitals.

“We have produced our third Construction Book, which provides a national overview of funded projects that are expected to be issued for tender in the next 18 months,” President Ramaphosa said.

The President urged Indian companies to consider partnerships to participate in these.
“The fourth area with great potential is agriculture. Agriculture is fundamental to economic development and social stability.

“There is great opportunity for collaboration in agro-processing, agricultural technology, food innovation and sustainable farming practices.

“This would contribute to stronger supply chains, improved productivity and greater food security in both India and South Africa.”

The fifth area of collaboration is in the digital economy and innovation space.
The President said the rapid growth of the digital economy presents exciting opportunities for cooperation in fintech, digital trade, artificial intelligence, innovation ecosystems, cybersecurity and digital skills development.

“Working together, we can harness technology to drive inclusive growth and competitiveness. We have already seen this in action.

“Just a few weeks ago, Atain – a global business services company headquartered in India – opened a new site in Cape Town that will see it increase its local workforce from 1,500 to over 2,000 young South Africans,” the President said.

READ | SA’s global business services presents opportunities for economic growth

He also identified cooperation in human capital and institutional partnerships.

“Sustained growth and commercial success depend on investing in people.  We should strengthen partnerships between universities, research institutions, skills development organisations and businesses.

This will support innovation and knowledge sharing and develop workforces that are ready for the future.  The strength of the partnership between our countries is not measured by the agreements we sign but by the impact we achieve,” said the President.

He stressed that by working together, the countries can draw on complementary resources and capabilities to create shared value. –SAnews.gov.za

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Shanghai, China -China has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening science, technology and innovation cooperation with South Africa as the two countries work to give practical effect to their upgraded strategic partnership.

Addressing the 19th Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai, China’s Minister of Science and Technology, Yin Hejun, said South Africa’s prominent participation demonstrated the importance both countries attached to their scientific relationship.

“It demonstrates the high importance that South Africa attaches to the forum and to furthering scientific and innovation cooperation between China and South Africa,” Yin said.

He described China and South Africa as important emerging markets and major developing countries whose cooperation could contribute to scientific advancement and efforts to address global development challenges.

In September 2024, the two countries elevated their bilateral relationship to an all-round strategic cooperative partnership in the new era.

Yin said the development had created further opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation in science and innovation.
He said Shanghai, which is hosting the forum, was an important centre of China’s scientific and technological development, with innovation among the city’s defining features.

Its innovation ecosystem continued to attract researchers and produce advances in fields including artificial intelligence (AI), biopharmaceuticals and brain-computer interfaces.

“Shanghai’s innovation ecosystem continues to improve. It continues to attract global researchers and, in many key areas such as AI, biopharmaceuticals and brain-computer interfaces, new results keep emerging,” Yin said.

China was also strengthening cooperation between Shanghai and surrounding provinces in the Yangtze River Delta to develop the region into an internationally competitive science and technology innovation hub.

Yin said national science and technology strategies were working in tandem with Shanghai’s trade and investment policies to unlock further development opportunities.

China was increasing investment in innovation, strengthening its strategic scientific capabilities and pursuing breakthroughs in basic research and key technologies.

The country’s research and development expenditure had exceeded 3.92 trillion yuan, with research intensity reaching approximately 2.8% of its gross domestic product (GDP).

According to Yin, China had also performed strongly in Patent Cooperation Treaty applications and research published in high-level international journals.

“According to our National Innovation Index report, China’s comprehensive innovation capability ranks ninth globally. “China is progressively transitioning from a global science and technology participant into a contributor and leader.”

He added that the latest scientific and industrial revolution offered countries important opportunities to promote sustainable development and respond to common challenges.

However, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, quantum technology and other emerging fields also presented significant ethical and governance risks.

“Technology is also a double-edged sword. We need to address questions such as violations of privacy, the abuse of data and fragmented global governance mechanisms,” Yin said.

Governance and cooperation
He called for an inclusive international science and technology governance system that would promote innovation while managing its potential risks.

Greater international cooperation was particularly important in basic research because major discoveries frequently emerged through exchanges between scientists from different countries.
“Many major scientific discoveries stem from the exchange of ideas and the clash of opinions between scientists,” Yin said.

“We need to seize the opportunities presented by the new round of scientific and technological revolution through international collaboration and integration, expand the horizons of knowledge and make more breakthroughs from zero to one.”

Yin said international scientific cooperation would also be essential to addressing climate change, environmental degradation, energy security and public safety.

“We need to use innovation resources efficiently and explore new pathways for effective scientific innovation so that we can offer more solutions for global sustainable development,” he said.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Professor Blade Nzimande said South Africa and China would pursue closer collaboration in “artificial intelligence, joint research centres, space science and astronomy, quantum computing, cybersecurity, public engagement, youth development and the Young Scientists Exchange Programme”.

Cooperation between the two countries is governed by a science and technology agreement signed in 1999, during former President Nelson Mandela’s administration. It has since expanded into health, traditional medicine, astronomy, forestry, palaeontology and energy research.

READ | Global South must co-own technologies of the future – Nzimande

“Our cooperation with the People’s Republic of China remains a critical component of our bilateral relationship,” Nzimande said, adding that the partnership was rooted in “solidarity, development cooperation and multilateral engagement,” said Nzimande. –SAnews.gov.za 

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New Delhi, India – President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged closer economic cooperation between South Africa and India, positioning the country’s reform agenda as a platform for stronger trade, increased investment and inclusive growth that benefits communities in both countries.

Speaking during an engagement with India’s business sector, the President said South Africa is undertaking wide-ranging reforms to accelerate structural change, strengthen competitiveness and unlock growth.
“South Africa is transforming its economy, undertaking far-reaching changes in our energy, telecommunications, logistics and water sectors.

“We have emerged from more than a decade of electricity shortages into a new era of investment and competition. We are reviving our freight rail system and our ports, enabling the participation of new operators and investing in expanding capacity,” the President said during a South Africa-India roundtable on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit currently underway.

He said the reforms are designed to lower the cost of doing business and make South Africa a more competitive destination for investors.

“We have embarked on the largest infrastructure investment programme in our country’s history, building the capacity of our economy while meeting the needs of our people,” the President said on Saturday.
The reform programme is already gaining traction, with South Africa’s credit rating outlook improving, inflation easing and the country moving towards stabilising national debt.

“Our investment drive continues to gather pace. That is why we are delighted that more than 150 Indian companies have collectively invested over $10 billion in South Africa, creating employment for over 18,000 South Africans.

“At the same time, a number of leading South African companies have invested in India’s growth. These include companies such as Naspers, FirstRand Bank, Sanlam and Momentum,” the President said.

India is hosting the BRICS Summit under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.

The summit concludes India’s 2026 BRICS chairship, which has focused on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.

READ | Call to cut trade barriers and widen business opportunities 

In his address during the BRICS Business Forum on Friday, President Ramaphosa called on BRICS governments and business communities to use the grouping as a platform to deepen investment and trade, reshape existing economic patterns and transform the economies of countries across the Global South.

READ | President Ramaphosa calls on BRICS to reshape global economic patterns

The President said the ambition of governments and business communities must extend beyond increasing intra-BRICS trade to deepening productive relationships between economies. –SAnews.gov.za

 

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Shanghai, China– South Africa and China are discussing the establishment of a China–Africa Innovation Alliance on Mining and Metallurgy to strengthen mineral-processing research, technology transfer and the development of higher-value products.

Professor Phuti Ngoepe, Director of the Materials Modelling Centre at the University of Limpopo, announced the discussions during an address at the 19th Pujiang Innovation Forum underway in Shanghai, China.

“Currently under discussion between South Africa and China is the establishment of the China–Africa Innovation Alliance on Mining and Metallurgy.

“The aim is to bring the national facilities in South Africa and China together, alongside other role players, to address the challenges we face through research, pilot demonstrations, industry participation, skills development and technology transfer,”  Ngoepe said on Saturday.

The proposed alliance could help South Africa extract greater economic value from minerals used in batteries and other clean-energy technologies by strengthening the country’s capacity to process them and manufacture battery materials locally.

Ngoepe said South African researchers were already developing battery-grade input materials from minerals such as manganese and lithium.

“The minerals are processed into input materials used in manufacturing, such as manganese sulphate or copper sulphate, which are required to produce cathodes. The next stage involves purifying these input materials to battery-grade quality,” he explained.

Working with a South African company, researchers recently completed a pilot plant project supported by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation. The facility is producing manganese sulphate from manganese metal, while a pre-feasibility study on producing it directly from ore has also been completed.

“We have also completed a feasibility study on establishing a 10 000-litre nickel manganese cobalt precursor production plant in South Africa. This work has involved a South African funding body, the government and a university acting as an adviser. We hope the project will now progress to the next stage,” he said.

He said South Africa’s mineral wealth allowed the country an opportunity to participate in the full battery value chain instead of limiting its role to extracting raw materials.

“All these applications depend on our ability to extract minerals from mines efficiently,” he said, pointing to hydrogen-and-battery-powered mining trucks and electric self-driving vehicles as examples of technologies dependent on mineral resources.

Ngoepe highlighted longstanding scientific cooperation between South Africa and China. The two countries began collaborating in mineral-processing research in 2012 and subsequently established a Joint Research Centre.

Research conducted with the Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the University of Cape Town and the University of Limpopo uses computational modelling to identify the most effective collectors for separating minerals.

“Through this proof of concept, we demonstrated consistency between the simulations and the experiments. This significantly reduces the time required to synthesise these collectors because the modelling points researchers in the right direction. They no longer have to rely entirely on trial-and-error experimentation,” the Professor said.

The collaboration, he added, also enables researchers to predict how minerals such as copper-bearing chalcopyrite and pyrite can be separated. Machine learning is being used to reduce the lengthy computational times associated with simulating complex, realistic mineral-processing environments.

According to Ngoepe, artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing would increasingly influence materials research. Scientists, he said, are already using graphics processing units to model between 100 million and 200 million atoms, compared with about 30 000 previously.

However, he cautioned that converting scientific discoveries into commercial products required sustained investment.

“Piloting and scaling up are very important, but these stages require substantial investment. Considerable funding is needed, particularly in developing countries where support for research, technology and innovation tends to be limited,” he said.

He stressed that applied innovation remains dependent on fundamental science.
“Basic research is important, and we must continue to invest in it. We must generate the knowledge that will underpin future innovation,” he told delegates.

In his address to the forum, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Professor Blade Nzimande said rapidly advancing fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies, biotechnology and space science, advanced materials and clean technologies were reshaping economies and national development.
READ | Global South must co-own technologies of the future – Nzimande

–SAnews.gov.za
 

 

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Shanghai, China– South Africa has called for countries of the Global South to become producers and owners of emerging technologies as it moves to deepen scientific cooperation with China.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Professor Blade Nzimande said rapidly advancing fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies, biotechnology and space science, advanced materials and clean technologies were reshaping economies and national development.

Addressing the 19th Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai, China, on Saturday, Nzimande warned that these changes were unfolding amid geopolitical and economic instability.
“This is also a moment of profound geopolitical and economic uncertainty, where science, technology and innovation are being increasingly weaponised by certain nation-states,” the Minister said.

“For this reason, we believe that the Global South cannot afford to stand on the margins of this new era. We must be co-creators of knowledge, co-designers of technology and co-owners of the industries that will define the future.”

South Africa, the first African nation designated Country of Honour at the forum, intends to use the platform to advance the continent’s science, technology and innovation agenda under the African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034.

Nzimande said South Africa and China would pursue closer collaboration in “artificial intelligence, joint research centres, space science and astronomy, quantum computing, cybersecurity, public engagement, youth development and the Young Scientists Exchange Programme”.

Cooperation between the two countries is governed by a science and technology agreement signed in 1999, during former President Nelson Mandela’s administration. It has since expanded into health, traditional medicine, astronomy, forestry, palaeontology and energy research.

“Our cooperation with the People’s Republic of China remains a critical component of our bilateral relationship,” Nzimande said, adding that the partnership was rooted in “solidarity, development cooperation and multilateral engagement”.

He cited South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope and the Square Kilometre Array as evidence that Africa could “host, design and operate mega-science infrastructure of global significance”.

Through cooperation between the South African National Space Agency and its Chinese counterpart, the countries were also strengthening earth observation, disaster management, ocean monitoring and data systems supporting climate resilience and human security.

Nzimande said scientific partnerships must deliver measurable opportunities rather than remain diplomatic undertakings.

“Our universities, research councils and innovation agencies must translate the opportunities of Pujiang into joint laboratories, research programmes, skills pipelines and commercial partnerships,” he said.
He highlighted the Young Scientists Exchange Programme, through which fellowships, laboratory placements and mentorship had exposed young researchers to advanced industrial research environments.

The Minister also called for stronger pathways between scientific discovery and commercial production, saying South African inventions frequently struggled to progress from prototypes to scaled enterprises because finance, markets and industrial demand were insufficiently connected.

“For too many innovators, the hardest journey is not from ignorance to discovery, but from discovery to market,” he said.

Platforms such as InnoMatch could connect South African clean-tech, fintech and biomedical start-ups with investors, multinational companies and buyers seeking innovation.

Nzimande said the country’s vaccine manufacturing ambitions and participation in the World Health Organisation’s mRNA technology-transfer hub reflected a key lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic: “Africa must never again stand at the back of the queue for life-saving technologies.”

The Minister also praised China for hosting the International Open Science Conference on Friday, saying open science could make knowledge, data, methods, software and infrastructure more accessible, transparent and inclusive. South Africa champions the movement alongside China, Brazil and the African Union.

READ | Make scientific data more accessible for developing countries, DSTI urges

He said South Africa stood ready to work with China and other partners to create a future “in which innovation is shared, technology is used responsibly, and science becomes a bridge between nations, peoples and generations”. –SAnews.gov.za

 

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Shanghai, China– President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to strengthening relations with China, describing the friendship between the two countries as an important foundation for deeper cooperation.

In a letter delivered by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Professor Blade Nzimande, at the 19th Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai, President Ramaphosa expressed his appreciation for the goodwill shown by the Chinese people.

“I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation [for] the people of China and their support for the friendship,” he said.

The message comes as South Africa participates in the forum as Country of Honour – becoming the first African country to receive the designation.

The honour places South Africa’s scientific and technological capabilities under the international spotlight while creating opportunities for the country to deepen cooperation with China.
South Africa’s participation also coincides with the commemoration of 28 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The relationship between South Africa and China has expanded over the years to include cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, education, science, technology and innovation.
President Ramaphosa’s message highlighted the role of international platforms such as the Pujiang Innovation Forum in advancing the partnership and creating opportunities for new collaborations.

The President said cooperation should be directed towards improving people’s lives, supporting industrialisation, addressing poverty and achieving sustainable development.

“It is my conviction that the 19th Pujiang Innovation Forum will not only promote new ideas and partnerships but will also deepen our shared commitment to advancing innovation-led development and industrialisation, alleviating poverty and achieving sustainable development for all,” President Ramaphosa said.

His remarks emphasised that the South Africa–China relationship should translate into practical benefits for their citizens and contribute to the development priorities of the Global South.
The forum provides South African scientists, researchers and innovators with an opportunity to engage their Chinese counterparts, exchange expertise and explore partnerships in emerging scientific and technological fields.

President Ramaphosa also welcomed China’s contribution to global cooperation and reiterated South Africa’s support for multilateral approaches to addressing shared challenges.
“I congratulate the forum on its commitment to global cooperation and applaud its progressive support for multilateralism,” he said.

South Africa and China cooperate through several bilateral and multilateral platforms, including the countries’ Bi-National Commission and BRICS.

In March 2026, the two countries convened the ninth session of the South Africa–China Bi-National Commission during Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng’s working visit to South Africa.

The commission reviewed cooperation across several sectors and considered ways of further strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Nzimande is leading a delegation of South African scientists, innovators, researchers and senior representatives of the National System of Innovation at the forum.

The delegation is expected to use the gathering to showcase South Africa’s capabilities, establish partnerships and advance the country’s science, technology and innovation priorities.

President Ramaphosa concluded by wishing the forum well and recognising those involved in its organisation.

“I wish the 19th Pujiang Innovation Forum every success and congratulate all those who have contributed to its success,” he said.

South Africa has expressed hopes to secure new partnerships and take its scientific capabilities to higher levels through its participation in the forum.

READ | SA eyes stronger science partnerships at China innovation forum

Nzimande expressed this optimism, while addressing a South African media contingent upon his arrival in China on Friday evening. –SAnews.gov.za

 

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