Pretoria: President Cyril Ramaphosa has articulated a vision for a renewed partnership between Africa and Japan, emphasizing collaboration for mutual prosperity over traditional aid models. ‘Africa is not seeking aid. It is seeking partners. Partners that understand value co-creation, sustainable development and mutual industrialisation,’ President Ramaphosa stated during his address at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development Summit (TICAD9).
According to South African Government News Agency, President Ramaphosa addressed the Plenary Session 2 on the Economy at TICAD9, highlighting Africa’s intent to play an active role in shaping the future of global trade and industrial development. He called for strategic collaboration to navigate the current global economic landscape. ‘We gather at a critical time, where global economic uncertainty, the reshaping of trade and new industrial revolutions demand bold action and strategic collaboration. Africa must not merely react to these forces. We must help to shape them,’ he said.
President Ramaphosa outlined South Africa’s advancements in stabilizing energy supply, modernizing infrastructure, and opening up ports and rail systems to private investment. He emphasized a reindustrialization agenda rooted in localization, green energy, and regional integration. South Africa is also incentivizing the production of electric vehicles and batteries, and is investing in green hydrogen value chains, infrastructure, and skills development. Additionally, there is a focus on expanding the health manufacturing sector with an emphasis on vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
The President also highlighted efforts to expand digital infrastructure to enhance access and improve service delivery. He emphasized the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in South Africa’s economic strategy, aiming to position the country as a hub for Japanese and global firms keen on entering African markets.
South Africa is actively working with the AfCFTA Secretariat to finalize value-chain protocols in several sectors, including automotive, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, and textiles. President Ramaphosa supports the harmonization of Rules of Origin to bolster manufacturing in Africa and is advocating for the enhancement of border infrastructure to facilitate faster movement of goods.
President Ramaphosa also addressed recent tariff actions by the United States on African goods, underlining the necessity of diversifying export markets. ‘Recent tariff actions by the United States on African goods have highlighted the need to diversify our export markets. South Africa is a leading exporter of agricultural produce and high-quality industrial products such as auto vehicles and components. We call on our Japanese counterparts to support tariff cooperation to ease market access for African goods,’ he expressed.
Beyond trade, President Ramaphosa called for deeper collaboration in infrastructure, energy, and digital development via blended finance models. ‘We seek partnerships in infrastructure, energy and digital development through blended finance. We also seek partnerships in financing skills development, youth innovation and small business scaling,’ he added.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is leading South Africa’s high-level delegation at TICAD9 in Yokohama City, having arrived in Japan on Tuesday.