UAE pledges another $200 million in humanitarian funding for Sudan
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World Humanitarian Day: African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Pays Tribute to Humanitarian Workers
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South Africa: President Ramaphosa arrives in Japan to participate at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development Summit
President Cyril Ramaphosa has today, 19 August 2025, arrived in Japan to lead South Africa's High Level Delegation participation to the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development Summit (TICAD9). TICAD9 Summit will convene in Yokohama from 20 - 22 August 2025 under the theme 'Co-creating Innovative Solutions With Africa'. The Summit is underpinned by (3) Plenary Sessions, which illustrate established areas of cooperation between the African Union and Japan, namely: i) Society: Realising a Sustainable Future; ii) Economy: Promoting Trade and Investment; iii) Peace and stability: Ensuring Human Dignity and Human Security. The 9th TICAD Summit takes place at a time of unprecedented threats to global peace and security, ongoing conflicts in some regions of the world, distortions and disruption to global trade and a concerning revision by some states to unilateral action at a time when multilateralism and collective solutions to common challenges is crucial. Rising fuel, food and energy prices have severely impacted developing countries, entrenching poverty and fuelling higher levels of inequality in the face of constrained employment and job opportunities. The debt and liquidity crisis on the African continent is worsening the challenging socio-economic environment and constraining the fiscal space for governments to cast a safety net over its citizens. The AU discussions with the government of Japan under the auspices of TICAD presents an opportunity for the two sides to engage in discussions that seek to foster collective solutions to these challenges. South Africa, as a Member State of the AU, will prioritise support from the government of Japan for the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan (STYIP) of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, especially in the priority areas of infrastructure development, peace and security, and health. President Ramaphosa will advance South Africa's Presidency of the G20 and pursue bilateral economic engagements with the government of Japan with a view to strengthening trade and investment ties between South Africa and Japan. The 2025 year marks 115 years of relations between South Africa and Japan. The two countries enjoy well-established bilateral relations within the framework of the Partnership Forum held at a Ministerial level, and maintain strong cooperation in the fields of trade and investment; science and technology; education; skills transfer and capacity building through development cooperation. Bilateral trade between Japan and South Africa had been expanding since the establishment of full diplomatic relations in 1992. Japan is one of the major investors (over R90 billion) in the South African economy, with 260 Japanese companies, sustaining over 150,000 local jobs. Japan is the 4th largest economy in the world, and total bilateral trade between the two countries in 2024 was R132 billion, with South Africa recording a trade surplus of R52 billion. President Ramaphosa will engage with leading captains of Japanese industry and business. Japan is one of South Africa's major economic partners with sizeable investments in the South African economy, and the potential for further investments exists. A South African high level business delegation is also participating at the TICAD9. Also at the margins of TICAD9, In his capacity as the chair of the Global Leader's Network for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health, President Ramaphosa will deliver a keynote address to parliamentarians, business and developmental agencies on the importance of increasing investments into women's, children's and adolescents health as an imperative for peace and security. President Ramaphosa is accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola; Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Dr Bonginkosi Nzimande; Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau; Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa; Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla; and senior Government officials. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.
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South Africa: Water and Sanitation on more than $10 billion raised during the Water Investment Summit
Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina has expressed her satisfaction on the commitments made following a three-day inaugural African Union-Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP) Water Investment Summit which was opened by President Cyril Ramaphosa, in Cape Town, South Africa. The Minister announced that more than 10 billion has been raised in the last three days of the summit and is confident that more will be achieved. The Summit, which was aligned with South Africa's G20 Presidency priorities of solidarity, equality, and sustainability, brought together Heads of State, Ministers, investors and development partners to drive solutions to challenges of water provision. Accordingly, the 1690 delegates in attendance to this Summit rallied support behind the achievement of South Africa's G20 priorities of rapid and inclusive economic growth, eradication of poverty and hunger, and climate sustainability, by accelerating investments into climate-resilient water and sanitation. Minister Majodina said 80 priority water investment projects from 38 different countries were identified for the summit and they have already attracted an estimated projection of 10 to 12 billion US Dollars a year, worth of investments. 'In the last three days, we have identified governance, finance, capacity and data gaps in the water sector and together we commit to pay focused attention to these matters. We are making a call to governments to help level the playing fields in order to attract investment. Let us eliminate long and unnecessary red tape which undermines and discourages investment. We have also managed to showcase a pipeline of bankable water and sanitation projects to prospective funders and investors.' 'What we are grateful for is that the matchmaking sessions during the three days have managed to strengthen relations between governments, project developers, and financiers, building trust and paving way for long term collaborations,' Minister Majodina said. She further noted that the Africa Water Investment Summit, hosted in the context of South Africa's G20 Presidency, helped to advance efforts towards inclusive and sustainable economic growth and social advancement. The summit was convened under the auspices of the African Union, the High-Level Panel on Water Investment for Africa and the Republic of South Africa's G20 Presidency. The commitments were made by the 20 ministers responsible for water, sanitation and environment across the continent and beyond, as supported by the African Heads of State and Government and other global leaders. The inadequate investments in water have affected the gains made across all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on water and sanitation, and the critical role that water plays in climate change adaptation and mitigation and the goals of Agenda 2063. This is due to the continent's growing needs, resulting in Africa's $30 billion annual water investment gap. Therefore, the delivery of water investments across Africa is below target to meet the continent's growing needs. In December 2023 during COP 28 in Dubai, UAE, the African Union Commission and AIP International High-Level Panel launched the Africa Water Investment Action Plan, outlining how countries can mobilise the additional US$30 billion per year required to ensure water security and sustainable sanitation on the continent. The Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment of the African Union Commission, His Excellency Moses Vilakati has described the Summit convened under South Africa's historic G20 Presidency as more than a gathering, but a call to action, a platform for transformation, and a proof to Africa's leadership in climate-resilient water security and safe sanitation. 'We came together with a shared mission: to close Africa's $30 billion annual water investment gap, and we leave with renewed momentum, concrete commitments, and a bold vision for the future. The African Union declared Water as the Theme for the Year 2026, and it is our fervent hope that this will help in our drive for better water investments in the Continent,' said Commissioner Vilakati. The Summit also served as a platform to consolidate the position of AU Member States on water investment in preparation for the 2026 UN Water Conference, which will be hosted by the Government of Senegal and the United Arab Emirates. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Government.
