As the first African nation to host the G20, South Africa is stepping onto the world stage with confidence and purpose. Leading by principles of solidarity, equality and sustainable development, the country promotes transformative debate that shapes both continental and global progress.
As you can see from the numbers in the headline, the country's economic resilience is not a problem. Just recently, Google South Africa launched South Africa's R2.5 billion cloud region and integrated it into Google Cloud's global network. As the Cabinet pointed out on March 25, 2025, “This project is the first Google in Africa and shows significant investment in South Africa's technology infrastructure.”
The European Union has also announced a global gateway investment package of R93.5 crore to support not only the local pharmaceutical industry but also strategic investment projects in clean and just-energy transitions, digital and physical connectivity infrastructure.
Statistics South Africa's latest quarterly employment statistics reflect an increase in employment in the trade, business services, transportation and electricity sectors.
The country's tourism sector, one of South Africa's most important industries, shows signs of a post-Covid recovery. It currently supports more than 1.5 million jobs and has donated 7.2% to GDP.
The country is also pushing for that just-energy transition. President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the 2024 Climate Change Act on March 17, 2025. This has enabled the development of effective climate change policies and long-term planning for the low-carbon economy and transition to society.
In addition, the International Partner Group, a coalition of organizations and countries made up of the European Union (EU), France, Germany and the UK, has stepped forward to filling the financial gap left by the US after its withdrawal from the Just Energy Transition Partnership.
Cabinet also states, “The total international pledge to South Africa currently reaches USD 12.8 billion, including more than USD 900 million from the IPG along with donations from Spain, Switzerland and Canada.”
But the story of South Africa is more than just one number. It's about people. It's about optimism reflected in our recent National Brand Report, where 57% of South Africa believe that the country is heading in the right direction and 51% trust the national unified government to tackle the challenges. It's about the unity of diversity. It was clarified in the National Development Plan, and lived through the daily lives of people, reverberating in the country's global moral leadership.
The South African story is one of hope and unity, further strengthened by the nation's social cohesion index, which rose to 65.7%, indicating clear progress in building an inclusive and cohesive society.
At the heart of the findings is a strong message. South Africans draw strength from diversity, shared struggles and unwavering identity.
G20 Partnership
In 2025, South Africa is more than just a participant in a global story. We help write it. You just need to look into the country's input when leading the G20.
The G20 presidency is not a normal appointment, but represents a profound opportunity for South Africa to shape global economic policies and influence the global financial system.
The country is seeking a common foundation on key issues such as climate change, trade reform, energy security, and the global health crisis. All of these have a direct impact on their own socioeconomic priorities.
For South Africa, the presidency will never expand its economic footprint and deepen its global connections.
This means defending policies that will attract greater foreign investment, support technological innovation and help diversify South Africa's economy.
Key initiatives include sustainable infrastructure development, Just Energy Transition implementation plan, and Green Hydrogen Roadmap, aimed at achieving energy security and reducing carbon emissions.
All of this is in line with the South African government's priority 1 focused on building inclusive economic growth and job creation. We strive to maintain policy stability and create a favorable business environment to promote economic growth.
South Africa held its first G20 Trade and Investment Working Group between March 18th and 20th, 2025, focusing on the construction of an inclusive economy and the success and failure of the multilateral trading system over the past 30 years. They also discussed trade and comprehensive growth, a responsive trade agenda, green industrialization and reforms to the World Trade Organization.
South Africa's influence has spread across borders and serves as a prominent advocate for the African Continent's economic development agenda through other multilateral institutions such as the African Union (AU) and BRICS+.
The country is committed to the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) and is strengthening economic cooperation through public trade and strategic partnerships.
European Union Partnership
The EU has long been one of South Africa's most important trading partners. Trade relations in the EU South Africa are fixed in trade, development and cooperation agreements, which have encouraged increased access to the European market for South African goods, including agricultural products, manufactured goods and minerals.
The EU is South Africa's largest trading partner, with imports from the EU totaling R42.6 billion in 2024 and exports to the EU, reaching R35.1 billion in 2024.
The economic relationship with the EU also provides a stable flow of foreign direct investment. European companies have a long history of investing in South Africa, particularly in sectors such as manufacturing, renewable energy and financial services.
South Africa recently held its 8th Summit in Cape Town. There, President Ramaphosa met with Antonio Costa, president of the Council of Europe, and Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission.
At the end of the conference, leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for strategic partnerships based on the shared values ​​of democracy, human rights, equality and sovereignty.
The statement of conclusion noted that Congress came amid the backdrop of increasing geopolitical and geoeconomic competition and instability, strengthening conflict, strengthening inequality, increasing global economic uncertainty, fragmentation and a climate emergency.
“In the face of this challenging political and socioeconomic environment, we highlighted our belief in multilateral cooperation in order to collectively address common challenges.”
Despite the current global turmoil, it is clear that the EU is a dedicated partner in South Africa and that many European companies continue to see South Africa as a gateway to the continent.
BRICS+ Partnership
Another important pillar of South Africa's economic strategy is within the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) group, which expanded to BRICS+ with the addition of other emerging economies.
BRICS represents the growth potential of the global economy, accounting for more than 40% of the world's population and a significant share of global GDP.
South Africa's position in BRICS provides access to the growth of emerging markets and encourages economic cooperation with some of the world's largest and fastest-growing economies.
Founded by the original five members, the new development bank is a prime example of South Africa's ability to leverage this partnership to enhance infrastructure development, economic diversification and job creation.
Through the NDB, South Africa has been able to secure funding for large projects in sectors such as water, energy and cargo logistics. This will improve our infrastructure, reduce operational costs and increase our competitiveness in South Africa's global market by positioning it as a regional economic hub.
Africa Union Partnership
As the continent is one of the most dynamic regions in the world, the AU plays a key role in shaping South Africa's economic future.
South Africa has long been a leader in promoting trade and investment within Africa, and involvement in the AFCFTA has been seen as the key to unlocking the full potential of the African market. Officially launched in 2021, AFCFTA aims to create a single market of goods and services in 54 of 55 African countries with a population of over 12 billion and a total GDP of $3.4 trillion.
South Africa's ability to leverage strategic partnerships with the EU, BRICS+ and AU is important to its economic future and solidifies its position as a gateway to Africa.
