Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, discussed increasing cooperation between the two nations in trade, investment, mining, critical minerals, AI and food security.
“Had an excellent meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa during the G20 Summit in Johannesburg,” PM Modi posted on social media after his meeting.
“We reviewed the full range of the India-South Africa partnership, especially in boosting linkages of commerce, culture, investment and diversifying cooperation in technology, skilling, AI, critical minerals and more,” he added.
With South Africa hosting the G20 Summit for the first time on its soil since it became a member of the collective during India’s presidency in 2023, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Ramaphosa on successfully completing the presidency of the summit.
The Prime Minister also thanked the South African President for the South African cheetah relocation to India and invited him to join the International Big Cat Alliance led by India, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
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Agreeing to work jointly to amplify the voice of the Global South, PM Modi appreciated the initiative taken by South Africa to hold the IBSA leaders meeting, and was assured of South Africa’s support to India’s upcoming Chairship of BRICS in 2026.
Spokesperson for the MEA, Randhir Jaiswal, called the meeting between the two leaders “warm and productive”, and said the talk between them included exchange of youth delegations for enhancing technology and people-to-people ties.
This is PM Modi’s fourth official visit to South Africa, following his bilateral visit in 2016 and later for the two BRICS summits in 2018 and 2023.
South Africa is India’s largest trading partner in the African region with bilateral trade between the two standing at USD 19.25 billion in 2023-24.
Prime Minister Modi and Ramaphosa welcomed the growing presence of Indian firms in South Africa, with data showing that Indian businesses have invested over USD 1.3 billion in South Africa from April 2000 to September 2024. These investments traverse diverse sectors, encompassing pharmaceuticals, IT, automotive, banking, and mining.
At the opening session of the G20 Leaders’ Meeting, PM Modi proposed for the establishment of a G20 initiative to counter the drug-terror nexus and a global healthcare response team.
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