Ramaphosa in Paris: New Partnership with France Amidst Security and Investment Challenges in Africa

The president began South AfricaCyril Ramaphosa, on a three-day official visit to France, began with a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, as part of joint efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation in political, economic and strategic fields, in addition to discussing a number of regional and international issues.

Ahead of the talks, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed his South African counterpart via his official account, stressing the importance of the visit in strengthening bilateral relations, saying: “Welcome to France, dear President Cyril Ramaphosa. I am pleased to welcome you to strengthen the partnership between South Africa and France and to work together for peace and a fairer multilateralism.”.

The talks between the two presidents focused on ways to develop the long-term partnership between France and South Africa, exploring opportunities to increase economic and investment cooperation, and strengthening political coordination between the two countries on issues of common interest.

The meeting also addressed security issues in the African continent, primarily regional conflicts and the challenges facing a number of countries on the continent, in addition to international issues that require coordination between the two sides.

Ramaphosa’s visit to France comes weeks after controversy arose over his exclusion from the G7 summit, with the South African presidency initially suggesting that his exclusion was the result of “American pressure,” before Ramaphosa later confirmed that this explanation was incorrect.

According to the French presidency, the visit aims to strengthen the historic partnership between the two countries and expand the prospects for cooperation in various fields.

Ramaphosa is scheduled to participate in sessions hosted by UNESCO to discuss ways to improve the quality of education, as well as meetings with a number of senior French business leaders to discuss investment opportunities and enhance economic cooperation.

These meetings come as part of South Africa’s efforts to attract new investments and expand partnerships with French companies in vital sectors.

The visit concludes with the South African president's participation in the ceremonies commemorating the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Delville Wood in northern France, which is considered one of the most important milestones in South Africa's military history during the First World War, in which more than 2,500 South African soldiers were killed.

The visit, with its political, economic and cultural meetings, reflects the keenness of Paris and Pretoria to strengthen their strategic partnership and intensify coordination on regional and international issues of common interest.