New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. Both leaders emphasised on deepening the bilateral cooperation across various sectors. The discussion also covered various topics spanning across areas such as trade, investment, mining, critical minerals, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, skilling, and food security.
PM Modi described the interaction as an “excellent meeting.” He said that India and South Africa had reviewed the “full range” of their partnership, particularly efforts to boost collaboration in commerce, culture, technology, and innovation. He also lauded the South Africa’s successful G20 presidency and its efforts to advance outcomes from the New Delhi G20 Summit. This year’s summit is historic as South Africa becomes the first African nation to host a G20 Leaders’ Meeting, following the African Union’s accession to the grouping under India’s presidency in 2023.
Talks aimed to strengthen partnership
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the talks were “warm and productive.” Both sides explored various avenues to strengthen youth exchanges and people-to-people ties. The leaders expressed satisfaction with progress in key sectors such as food security, mining, skill development, and investment flows. PM Modi welcomed the growing footprint of Indian companies in South Africa and agreed with Ramaphosa on facilitating greater mutual investment.
The Indian PM also thanked President Ramaphosa for South Africa’s support in relocating cheetahs to India and invited him to join the International Big Cat Alliance. Both leaders have also expressed their interests to amplify the voices of the Global South. They also wished to collaborate closely under India’s upcoming BRICS Chairship in 2026.
South Africa remains India’s largest trading partner in Africa, with bilateral trade reaching USD 19.25 billion in 2023–24. Indian investments exceeding USD 1.3 billion span pharmaceuticals, IT, automotive, banking, and mining.