‘Africa wants trade, not aid’ – Ramaphosa declares
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told delegates at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) that Africa is seeking equal partnerships based on trade and investment, not handouts.
Ramaphosa’s remarks came as tensions with Washington heightened over new tariffs on South African exports. In July, US President Donald Trump announced that “any and all South African products sent into the US” would face a 30 percent tariff, the highest imposed on any African country. The measures took effect on August 7, Viory reports.
Ramaphosa said the tariff dispute reinforced the need for Africa to diversify its export markets and build deeper ties with Asian partners.
“Africa is not seeking aid. It is seeking partners, partners that understand value co-creation, sustainable development and mutual industrialisation,” he told delegates in Yokohama.
He further indicated that South Africa’s strength as an exporter of agricultural goods, vehicles, and industrial components, and urged Japan to cooperate on easing market access.
Ramaphosa called for Japanese investment in infrastructure, energy and digital development, as well as in skills training, youth innovation and small business growth.
“Recent tariff actions by the United States on African goods have highlighted the need to diversify our export markets,” he said. “We call on our Japanese counterparts to support tariff cooperation to ease market access for African goods.”
Launched in 1993, TICAD is Japan’s main platform for building economic and development partnerships with Africa. This year’s session in Yokohama has focused on sustainable growth, digital transformation and industrialisation.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
