Washington D.C., United States – President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated South Africa’s commitment to fostering inclusive prosperity through its continued participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

President Ramaphosa concluded a productive Working Visit to the White House on Wednesday, where he held high-level discussions centred on trade, geopolitical cooperation, and the promotion of South Africa’s image on the global stage.

In an engagement with media following his meeting with U.S. leaders, President Ramaphosa confirmed that discussions on AGOA were prominent in his engagements with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The President noted that ongoing deliberations between the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, will further address the country’s position and proposals under the agreement.

“The issue of AGOA did come up, and it’s going to be further discussed in the engagements that we’re going to have. The Secretary of Commerce and our Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition are going to be able to take those discussions forward, including some of our proposals that do incorporate the issue of AGOA, because we would like to see ourselves continuing in AGOA. 

“Continuing in AGOA really is about prospering our continent. There are 32 countries from Africa that participate in AGOA [according to] the Secretary of Commerce. So, it is top of mind for them as well. We want to continue with those discussions,” President Ramaphosa said.

He reaffirmed South Africa’s stance that trade benefits must extend beyond its borders, citing the country’s membership in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and its alignment with the African Union (AU) agenda. 

“As one of Africa’s three largest economies, we are one of the three big economies, and our general orientation has always been to prosper together with other countries. Even as we do get involved in these negotiations, we will always have an AU perspective, a SADC perspective, and a general sub-Saharan perspective as well,” the President said.

Geopolitical cooperation and peacebuilding

The President further confirmed that South Africa’s role in peacebuilding, both on the continent and globally, was recognised during the talks. He welcomed the acknowledgement of South Africa’s contribution to peace efforts in regions such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Ukraine.

“We found that our interests do coincide, in as far as peace building and peace-making is concerned. We did compliment President Trump on being very forward in advocating for peace in our region between Rwanda and the DRC. 

“Also, in Russia and Ukraine, we outlined precisely what our involvement has been over the years, and we did share that we are one of the very few countries in the world that speaks to both. [We] were condemned [during the earlier] stage but I think much later people realise that the role that we play is a constructive role, because we have been able to deal with intricate issues that involve the two countries, [including] the children and prisoners of war and [President Trump] appreciated that. He recognised the role that we play,” President Ramaphosa said.

The President also reflected on recent engagements with President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Ukraine, who visited South Africa earlier this year. He confirmed that this meeting further highlighted South Africa’s commitment to supporting dialogue and peace processes globally.

Clarifying South Africa’s position on genocide allegations

Addressing a question around allegations of genocide in South Africa, President Ramaphosa clarified that no such acts are occurring in the country. He described the discussion as part of an ongoing process to ensure that accurate information is communicated at international level.

In this regard, the President said that he and President Trump have agreed to meet again.

President Ramaphosa also touched on the presence of iconic South African golfers in the meeting, including Gary Player and Ernie Els, who were invited at the request of President Trump.

“What we did do is to present and represent our country very well. Those golfers are patriotic South Africans. They [are] on the global stage, but they still regard themselves as South Africans. They are patriotic, and… they speak about their own experience,” the President said. 

Concluding his answers, President Ramaphosa expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the engagement, stating that South Africa was able to present itself with unity, honesty and pride.

“Today, we were able to present South Africa, even within the challenges and controversies that have been spread around our country. We were able to, in a very unified way, present South Africa [despite all] its challenges,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za