By Johnathan Paoli
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for a stronger and more balanced economic partnership between Africa and Japan, stressing the importance of trade, investment and industrialisation as the continent faces unprecedented global challenges.
Delivering remarks at the Plenary Session on the Economy at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Ramaphosa outlined South Africa’s economic reforms and urged Japanese partners to deepen cooperation beyond aid and into sustainable development.
“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 is not seeking aid. It is seeking partners. Partners that understand value co-creation, sustainable development and mutual industrialization,” Ramaphosa said.
The TICAD9 summit, convened under the theme “Co-creating Innovative Solutions with Africa”, comes at a time of slowing global growth, escalating trade disruptions, and rising costs of food, fuel and energy.
For Africa, these trends have worsened debt pressures, widened inequality and eroded the fiscal space for governments to respond to citizens’ needs.
Against this backdrop, Ramaphosa positioned South Africa and the continent as ready to seize new economic opportunities if backed by meaningful global partnerships, highlighting reforms aimed at stabilising the country’s economy and creating a platform for investment.
He pointed to improvements in energy supply, the modernisation of transport and logistics and the partial opening of ports and rail infrastructure to private-sector participation.
The president stressed that South Africa was incentivising electric vehicle and battery production, supporting green hydrogen value chains and investing in health manufacturing, particularly vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics.
He said the expansion of digital infrastructure would bridge access gaps and improve public service delivery.
These efforts, he argued, aligned South Africa with the demands of the new industrial revolution and created opportunities for foreign partners to invest in high-growth sectors.
Central to Ramaphosa’s economic vision is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which he described as the foundation for transforming Africa into a competitive global trade player.
He said South Africa was working with the AfCFTA Secretariat to finalise value-chain protocols in strategic sectors such as automotive, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, and textiles.
Ramaphosa positioned South Africa as a continental industrial platform from which Japanese and other firms could manufacture and export into Africa’s 1.3 billion-strong consumer market.
He further urged Japan to expand tariff cooperation to ease market access for African agricultural and industrial products, particularly in light of recent United States tariff hikes that have squeezed African exporters.
Economic relations between South Africa and Japan are already significant.
Japan is South Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching R132 billion in 2024, and South Africa recording a surplus of R52 billion.
Japan has invested more than R90 billion in the South African economy, sustaining over 150,000 jobs through 260 companies.
This year also marks 115 years of relations between the two countries.
Ramaphosa, who is accompanied by ministers responsible for trade, energy, and innovation, is meeting Japanese industry captains to secure new investments.
South Africa’s business delegation is also in Japan to pitch opportunities in infrastructure, energy, digital technology and green industries.
For Ramaphosa, who also holds the G20 presidency, TICAD9 provides an avenue to strengthen Africa’s collective trade agenda while advancing South Africa’s domestic priorities.
INSIDE POLITICS