South Africa & EU ink critical minerals pact, champion multilateralism

At a high-profile trilateral meeting on Thursday, Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, together with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and António Costa, President of the European Council, affirmed a deepening partnership defined by trust, reliability and shared goals. “It has indeed been a real honour to jointly preside over the South Africa-EU leaders trilateral meeting,” Ramaphosa said. “We’ve characterised this relationship as a mature relationship, a relationship that is predictable, that is reliable, and that is based on trust.”

The summit marked the signing of a landmark agreement tackling the future of critical minerals — metals essential for green energy, digital technology and defence — designed to ensure both South Africa and the EU rise up the value chain. The deal comes as the EU races to diversify supply away from dominant sources and amid growing fears of disruptions.

Von der Leyen announced that: “Today we’ve signed three new major projects. … we are investing €350 million to modernise South Africa’s infrastructure both in transport and in energy, and this includes support for Transnet’s decarbonisation under the Just Energy Transition Partnership.”

Key priorities

• South Africa will not solely extract raw minerals — it intends to process them domestically, capturing higher value and supporting local jobs.
• The EU will bolster clean-energy and transport systems in South Africa, strengthening a partnership under the umbrella of its Global Gateway investment strategy.
• Both sides emphasised the defence of multilateralism: the agreement comes amid uncertainty over U.S. engagement in global forums and signals an intent to uphold collaborative, rules-based systems.

Why this matters for Business Africa

For South Africa, the pact opens a path to broaden its economic base, boost local processing industries, and position itself as a strategic hub in global supply chains. For the EU, it assures access to critical inputs needed for the clean-tech transition. The deal is a blueprint for mutually beneficial partnership — transcending old donor-recipient models.

As Ramaphosa put it: “We are very pleased … to have a partner like the EU, and where we are able to discuss a variety of matters just this year alone.”

The agreement represents a convergence of interests: Africa’s ambition to industrialise and the West’s urgency to secure raw materials — offering a fresh chapter in Africa-Europe cooperation.