By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider 

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola, delivered a speech at the Multi-Stakeholder Round Table under the guided theme “Revitalising International Development Cooperation” on 30 June 2025 in Seville Spain on Monday. 

“Frequent shifts in policy, coupled with weak institutions and inconsistent regulatory frameworks, create a climate of uncertainty that undermines investor confidence.” said Minister Lamola in his opening remarks of his speech. This statement made by Minister Lamola is a summary of the broad problems that African countries face with foreign investment. Weak infrastructures and inconsistent policies coupled with heavy amounts of corruption is certainly what holds South Africa from achieving sustainable economic development. Regulatory certainty is the key to achieving sustainable investment and to give confident assurance to potential investor options. 

The Minister has also made mention that unlocking private investment will require assistance from government and development institutions in order to improve certainty from investors and improved governance. “National sustainable finance strategies should be developed and implemented to align financial growth with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria and the Sustainable Development Goals.” said Minister Lamola

The gathering of the United Nations has an intention of supporting the reform of international financial architecture as well as to address challenges with financing an urgently needed investment. “These strategies can be reinforced by promoting robust, sustainable finance and disclosure standards that clearly define what constitutes a sustainable investment.” added Minister Lamola in his speech.