South Africa and the European Union advance strategic partnership on sustainable minerals and metals value chains

The investment seminar, attended by over 200 senior representatives from business, industry, public and private financial institutions and policymakers, builds on the deepening EU-South Africa Strategic Partnership. Areas that enjoy specific attention include: industrial collaboration, regulatory cooperation, and job creation. Increased investment is facilitated through a Clean Trade and Investment Partnership, a Strategic Partnership on sustainable minerals and metals value chains, and the announced Team Europe Global Gateway Investment package of close to EUR 12 billion (appr. Rand 240 billion) in support of South Africa’s Just Energy Transition. Today’s event marked another important step in translating these commitments into practical cooperation, investment mobilisation, and policy alignment.

Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition of South Africa Honourable Mr Zuko Godlimpi, who opened the investment seminar, said: “South Africa believes that the future of minerals cooperation cannot be based on the old model of extraction here and value creation elsewhere. The clean transition demands something different: integrated, resilient and low-carbon value chains, built through genuine industrial partnership. With the Clean Trade and Investment Partnership between the European Union and South Africa we have the opportunity to build a new, fairer and more competitive model of cooperation. South Africa stands ready to work with the European Union to turn minerals into industries, industries into jobs, and partnership into shared prosperity.”

EU Ambassador to South Africa, Ms Sandra Kramer, said: “The European Union and South Africa have built strong political momentum over the past year, grounded in trust, shared values, and a common vision for sustainable growth. Today’s seminar demonstrates how we are turning that momentum into action — working together, through a Team Europe approach, to support sustainable minerals and metals value chains that create value locally, attract responsible investment, and contribute to resilient global supply chains. This partnership is not only about securing resources, but about building long-term industrial cooperation that benefits both South Africa and Europe.”

Discussions focused on a new model of partnership aimed at strengthening sustainable, integrated minerals and metals value chains, supporting value addition and beneficiation in South Africa, and creating an enabling environment for responsible investment. Participants highlighted the importance of developing and aligning predictable and coherent policy frameworks with operational and financial tools to unlock mutually beneficial industrial opportunities.

The investment seminar showcased the strength of Team Europe with the participation of the Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade of Belgium, Mr Theo Francken; the Minister for Economic Affairs of Finland, Mr Sakari Puisto; and the Deputy Minister for Enterprise of Italy, Mr Valentino Valentini. The European Commission was represented at senior level by Ms Myriam Ferran, Deputy Director-General for International Partnerships, and Mr Valère Moutarlier, Deputy Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. This Team Europe collective engagement enables the mobilisation and scale up of complementary expertise, policy instruments, and financing in support of shared objectives.

By convening policymakers, development and industrial institutions, and private sector stakeholders at Africa’s leading mining forum, South Africa and the European Union reaffirmed their commitment to a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership that supports industrial development, job creation, and sustainable growth.

Please direct inquiries to: Frank.Oberholzer@eeas.europa.eu

Additional Information:

Three announcements made during the seminar further underlined concrete delivery across the minerals and metals value chain:

1. The Industrial Development Corporation, the European Union and the German development bank (KfW) announced a trilateral partnership to unlock grant, equity and concessional capital for investment in the regional Minerals and Metals value chains. As such, the partnership will aim to establish a facility that would combine prospective EU grant support with development finance from KfW and/or other investors. The facility will be designed to leverage IDC’s expertise in identifying and investing in selected projects, thereby supporting and strengthening IDC’s role in the beneficiation of regional mining and mineral endowments.
2. The EU and its Member States announced a new EUR 2 million (appr. Rand 40 million) grant project to support skills development in South Africa's minerals and metals value chains. This project, implemented by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA), focuses on the development of skills and concrete employment opportunities through training programmes, apprenticeships and internships, in close cooperation with associated industry partners Manganese Metals Company (MMC) and Frontier Rare Earths. The project is supported through the Team Europe Initiative ‘Opportunity-driven skills and Vocational Education and Training in Africa’ which is funded by the EU and Germany, and jointly implemented by the Finnish National Agency for Education (Edufi), the Belgian agency for international cooperation (Enabel), Expertise France and German development agency (GIZ). This project reflects a shared commitment to skills development, industrial cooperation, and sustainable economic growth as part of the EU’s Global Gateway Africa Investment Package.
3. Technical Cooperation Promoting Value Chains for Critical Raw Minerals and Green Hydrogen: This initiative fosters South Africa’s green hydrogen and critical raw materials industries by improving policies, boosting skills, supporting research and innovation, and promoting environmentally and socially sound practices. It is jointly co-financed by the EU (contribution: EUR 21.5 million) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) (contribution: EUR 6 million) and implemented by GIZ, in partnership with South Africa’s Department of Electricity and Energy.