President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasized that South Africa deeply values its partnership with the United States, stressing that the country does not take American trust for granted. He praised the confidence U.S. companies continue to place in South Africa and pledged that Pretoria remains committed to strengthening bilateral economic ties.
Ramaphosa made these remarks while addressing the Trade and Investment Executive Dialogue, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The gathering brought together policymakers, executives, and leaders from both countries to discuss expanding commercial opportunities and addressing shared strategic imperatives.
The South African leader had earlier met with top executives from companies including Amazon, Google, and Cisco. Later, he joined an event co-hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S. Africa Business Centre and the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa. The meeting was part of ongoing efforts to attract new investment while ensuring the durability of long-standing partnerships.
“We’ve been engaged in these constructive engagements over some time, and we are now entering into the more serious and constructive type of negotiations. As Minister Parks Tau has said, ‘where there’s the exchange of text and hoping that it will all culminate in an agreement.’
“Minister Tau is usually a very cautious person, and he’s cautiously optimistic. I am immensely optimistic and we understand the concerns that have been raised by the United States and are willing to engage to find solutions that are mutually beneficial.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa
South Africa Seeks AGOA Renewal Soon
Ramaphosa underlined that his administration’s immediate priority is securing the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is set to expire at the end of this month. He explained that predictable, preferential access to the American market was not only important for South Africa but also vital for U.S. companies that rely on reliable imports.
“During the course of our presence here in New York, we’ve been meeting quite a number of people, people who are either legislators, linked to the executive or to the administration and we’ve been urging them that it is in our collective interest as South Africa, indeed Africa as a voice and bring about your influence, that it should be so. Predictable preferential access to the US market is vital not only for South Africa, but to American companies who depend on reliable imports.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa
He urged business leaders present to use their influence in Washington to advocate for an extension, noting that AGOA has been a central pillar of U.S.-Africa trade for decades.
Modernising Economy For Future Growth
Beyond AGOA, Ramaphosa outlined South Africa’s long-term vision for a modern and diversified economy. He said the government is actively addressing bottlenecks, broadening exports, and pushing for industrialization to create higher value-added products.
“We see particular promise in areas such as agriculture, which has been really driving growth in our economy in the past few quarters, in agro processing as well and high-value food production. There are opportunities in automotives, where we are transitioning to electric vehicles and to better ship production and green energy. Our renewable energy endowments and platinum reserves offer unrivalled potential.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa
He welcomed the establishment of a new U.S. Trade and Investment Forum, noting that its inaugural session is set to take place in South Africa next year. “This forum that will be established will allow us to engage more systematically to address obstacles as they arise and to pursue opportunities in a coordinated fashion,” Ramaphosa added.
The president concluded his remarks by reaffirming South Africa’s openness to collaboration and innovation. His pitch to U.S. companies combined optimism with a call for concrete action, reflecting the urgency of renewing AGOA while laying the groundwork for deeper cooperation in the years ahead.
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