The President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa has declared the country’s interest in working with Nigeria to extract vital minerals, especially lithium, to propel the green energy transition and aid in the advancement of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).
This was revealed by President Ramaphosa during the Nigeria-South Africa Business Roundtable on Tuesday in Cape Town, South Africa.
He suggested using Nigeria’s enormous lithium reserves as a springboard for EV industry industrialization initiatives.
He called on development financing organizations and the private sector to work together to expand manufacturing capacity and construct infrastructure in this area.
“There is also much opportunity for cooperation on pharmaceuticals.
“Our two countries are strategically positioned to benefit from the rapid growth of clean energy manufacturing industries.
“South Africa has developed a Just Transition Framework and an Investment Plan that anticipates massive investments in renewable energy and the green economy over the next few years.
“As part of the broader global transition to a low-carbon economy, we must leverage the abundant natural resources that exist in our countries to promote green industrialisation.
“We should leverage each other’s capabilities in minerals processing.
“We must work together to ensure critical minerals are beneficiated at source”.
President Ramaphosa added: “We call on businesses to support and involve themselves in these initiatives”.
S’ Africa also backs Nigeria’s bid to join G20
Additionally, President Ramaphosa revealed that South Africa will “keenly” back Nigeria’s desire to join the G20 club of the world’s largest economies.
He called it a “valued sister country”.
He made the pledge just minutes before he met President Tinubu at Tuynhuys to co-chair the 11th Bi-National Commission between South Africa and Nigeria at the formal opening of South Africa’s G20 presidency in Cape Town.
During his one-on-one conversation with President Tinubu and the extended meeting with both nations’ officials at the BNC, President Ramaphosa reportedly reaffirmed this position.
The only representatives of the continent in the G20 are South Africa and the African Union.
Other important African nations ought to join the club as well, according to Ramaphosa, “so that we can raise the voice from Africa, the neglected continent for the longest time”.
He pointed out that prior to the African Union’s entrance last year, when his nation successfully pushed for its membership, South Africa had been the only voice for Africa in the G20.
“We have a voice, we have a presence, and we will be the biggest growth story in years to come.
“Our population is going to grow by leaps and bounds, and therefore, as a continent, we are going to be a big noise, and we want that big noise to be recognised in the form of countries that will be part of the G20 right now”, he added.