Ramaphosa invites Brazilian investors as he pushes stronger trade ties

Ramaphosa

Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for stronger trade and investment ties between South Africa and Brazil, saying the two nations should deepen economic cooperation and use each other as gateways to regional markets.

Speaking at the Brazil–South Africa Business Forum in Brasilia during his state visit at the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Ramaphosa said the visit provided an opportunity to expand trade, strengthen industrial cooperation and promote investment between the two countries.

“Brazil and South Africa are much alike. We are large, complex and diverse democracies. We are resource-rich and full of talent. We carry the weight of significant inequality and we both carry the ambition to overcome it,” Ramaphosa said.

He noted that both countries cooperate on several international platforms, including BRICS, IBSA Dialogue Forum, the Group of Twenty and the World Trade Organisation, where they advocate for a more inclusive global trading system.

Ramaphosa said South Africa was keen to rebalance trade by expanding exports to Brazil and improving market access through the MERCOSUR–SACU Preferential Trade Agreement.

“As Team South Africa, we are keen to rebalance our trade by growing and diversifying South African exports to Brazil,” he said.

The president highlighted opportunities for cooperation in sectors such as biofuels, defence, agro-processing, aerospace, energy, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing and the automotive industry, adding that partnerships should include technology transfer and skills development.

He said South Africa aimed to position itself as Brazil’s gateway to African markets through the African Continental Free Trade Area.

“South Africa is not simply a market of 63 million people. South Africa is the gateway to a continent of 1.4 billion people, integrated through the African Continental Free Trade Area into a single market with a combined GDP approaching $4 trillion,” Ramaphosa said.

Several South African companies already operate in Brazil, including Sasol, MTN Group, Naspers, First National Bank, Aspen Pharmacare, Grindrod, Standard Bank and AngloGold Ashanti.

Brazilian firms such as Petrobras, Embraer and Marcopolo also have operations in South Africa.

Ramaphosa welcomed Embraer’s establishment of an aviation training academy at O. R. Tambo International Airport, saying it would help develop South Africa’s aerospace talent and strengthen the country’s role in the global aviation value chain.

He emphasised that stronger economic ties between the two nations would also strengthen cooperation among developing economies.

“South Africa and Brazil are not simply trading partners. We are fellow architects of a more equitable international order,” Ramaphosa said.

The president also invited Brazilian investors to attend the South Africa Investment Conference in Johannesburg on 31 March 2026.

“The door to South Africa is open. And the time to invest and grow together is now,” he said.

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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