Latest news with #US-Africa
eNCA
3 days ago
- Politics
- eNCA
Africa reacts to Ramaphosa and Trump meeting
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - The recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and President Cyril Ramaphosa has raised questions across Africa. As observers debate its impact on US-Africa relations, economic and political considerations are in focus.
The South African
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Cyril Ramaphosa 'expects' Donald Trump to attend G20 Summit
During a tense but wide-ranging Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that global cooperation through multilateral platforms such as the G20 was among the key topics discussed with US President Donald Trump. Ramaphosa, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the G20, extended a direct invitation to Trump to attend the upcoming summit, scheduled to take place in South Africa later this year. Emphasising the symbolic and practical importance of US participation, Ramaphosa said he hoped to hand over the presidency 'to a full chair, not an empty one.' 'We also discussed the G20 and we stressed that the G20, having been formed by the United States, of course, together with other countries, it is important that the United States should continue playing a key role,' Ramaphosa told reporters after the meeting. 'I want to hand over the Presidency of the G20 to President Trump in November, and I said he needs to be there. 'I don't want to hand over the Presidency of the G20 to an empty chair. I want to hand it over to him, sitting in that chair in November, and he is going to give serious consideration to it. 'In fact, I expect him to come to South Africa,' he added. The invitation comes amid a period of strained relations between the two countries, with disagreements over land reform, racial violence, and South Africa's international positions. Trump has so far refrained from engaging with several G20 processes under Ramaphosa's chairmanship, and his administration has criticised Pretoria's recent diplomatic stances, including its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Still, Ramaphosa expressed hope that South Africa's hosting of the G20 summit could mark a turning point in multilateral engagement and US-Africa relations. The G20 summit, to be held in Johannesburg from 22-23 November, will bring together the world's major economies to address pressing global challenges, including economic recovery, climate action, and international security. A confirmed appearance by Donald Trump could signal a renewed commitment by the US to international cooperation under his administration. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Tariffs and Agoa: How Parks Tau summarised US-SA trade talks
Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau highlighted the key areas of trade talks held with United States officials this week. Minister of Trade and Industry, Parks Tau, provided a brief outline of his team's engagements with officials from the United States. Tau addressed the media on Wednesday evening as the dust settled on a frenetic meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Cyril Ramaphosa in a packed Oval Office. Trade relations were identified as a key objective of the trip to the US, with Tau discussing tariffs, minerals, and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa). Framework agreement submitted Tau, along with Agricultural Minister John Steenhuisen, said the two had been in talks with their US counterparts since Monday. At the first meeting of trade representatives, US officials provided feedback on areas where the nations may not have aligned. Tau said the SA delegation relayed this feedback back home, resulting in a revised proposal submitted on Wednesday. 'We have submitted a proposal to the United States with regards to a framework agreement, focusing on issues related to trade and investment,' said Tau. The proposal identified areas for increased trade and access to each party's markets, while illustrating the benefits of keeping channels as open as possible. Agoa still before Congress On Agoa, Tau said that South African officials were informed that the agreement was still before Congress and would be settled later. 'Having met with the trade ministers in Africa at the recent African Continental Free Trade Area Council of Ministers, we have agreed to develop a collective approach with regard to Agoa,' said Tau. He added that a US-Africa trade forum, at which the African leaders would present this collective agreement, was in the pipeline. 'As South Africa, we have it in our document that the reauthorisation of Agoa is important,' Tau said. The minister highlighted the role of South Africa's neighbours in negotiations through the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu). 'The context of discussing Sacu is because we negotiate tariffs as a customs union, and this is one of the areas that the US required a bit more elaboration. 'We agreed that we would have the issues on tariffs and non-tariff barriers added, which are the issues we added yesterday,' Tau explained. Tariff implications Tau insisted that South Africa was a positive contributor to the US's interests. The minister claimed that 77% of the products that the US accessed in South African markets were done so tariff-free. 'When we talk tariffs, we are only relating to them in relation to the products that are not listed in the 77%. 'We also indicated the reality that with regards to the main products we sell into the US, these would include some of our minerals, minerals even under the reciprocal tariffs have been excluded,' he explained. Tau said South Africa supplied 12 of the US' priority minerals, and it was the primary supplier of nine of them. Other trade avenues mentioned were the establishment of digital opportunities and South Africa gaining access to US liquefied natural gas. Equity equivalent Concerns about employment equity hampering potential US investment were addressed, with Tau stating that at least 10 US companies were benefiting from an existing accommodation. Tau explained that South Africa had a programme to help bridge employment equity gaps called the Equity Equivalent Programmes for Multinationals. These equity equivalent programmes allow foreign companies to offset their black economic empowerment requirements against skills development or socio-economic programmes. 'They are participating in a manner that enables supply and enterprise development. So, they are building the capacity of their own suppliers in our region, which increases their ability to produce in the country,' stated Tau. This may open the door for any of Elon Musk's enterprises, with the minister saying Ramaphosa had already met with the South African-born businessman last year. 'We are continuing to pursue Tesla with regards to investing in South Africa as part of the original equipment manufacturers, and we intend to pursue that discussion with them,' Tau concluded. NOW READ: Ramaphosa says Trump meeting a success despite ambush [VIDEO]
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Ramaphosa-Trump White House meeting: Africa holds its breath
Dr Gideon Chitanga says the outcome of President Cyril Ramaphosa's Washington visit will have a bearing on Africa-US relations. Image: Supplied/GCIS As the clock ticks towards the make-or-break meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and United States President Donald Trump, an international relations expert says the African continent is watching closely, as the interaction might set the tone for US-Africa relations. In an interview with IOL, Dr Gideon Chitanga said the engagement, which set down for Wednesday at the Oval Office of the White House, will carry significance for the continent. 'The moment of the meeting, and its context - thinking back to the past five months, is very crucial because South Africa is a very significant player in the continent and probably the most active African country in multilateral context, representing the African voice. 'The power play that Trump has projected is quite telling, in the sense of the manner that he conducts US foreign policy under his administration. The retreat to bilateralism in contrast to multilateralism has also been a very significant feature of the current US administration. For Africa, I think Ramaphosa and South Africa are navigating a very significant, historical moment. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. 'The outcome of this bilateral engagement, I think, will be watched by many African leaders including those who believe that a multilateral continental approach would be significant,' he added. Chitanga said when Ramaphosa and Trump speak about the G20, it will become clear how Africa seeks to engage with Africa. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Earlier, IOL reported that one of South Africa's richest men, renowned businessman Johann Rupert and golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen are reportedly part of the high-level South African delegation led by Ramaphosa. According to media reports, Ramaphosa has included the golfers in his arsenal, seeking to appeal to Trump who loves the sport. Speculation has been rife over the audience Ramaphosa will receive from Trump, following the dressing down given to visiting Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in February. IOL has previously reported that since his inauguration, Trump has cut aid to South Africa, and has offered South African Afrikaner an opportunity to relocate to the US as refugees. So far, the first batch of 49 Afrikaners has arrived in the US. US President Donald Trump has made good on his promise to cut funding to South Africa over the government's land expropriation policy and resettle white farmers, insisting that their land is being expropriated. IOL News
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Analysis: Gauging US presidents' Africa policy effectiveness
Presidential engagement is the indispensable factor in an effective US-Africa policy. American presidents who meet with more African leaders, on balance, launch more initiatives, introduce more policies, and engage more Africans on global issues. So, if you want to judge a US president's record, you need to track the number of Oval Office meetings with African leaders. With help from Bobby Pittman, who served as President George W. Bush's Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council from 2006 to 2009, I went through every US presidential meeting with African and non-African leaders at the White House from January 1961 to January 2025. The results were both unsurprising and surprising. As expected, President George W. Bush topped the chart. He spent more time with African leaders than any other president. By our count, he spent 3% of his working days in meetings with African leaders, which roughly translates to hosting an African counterpart every 33 days. He prioritized Africa in his signature initiatives, including the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). By the time Bush announced PEPFAR in his State of the Union speech in January 2003, he had already hosted 14 African leaders at the White House — more than Trump and Biden combined. President John F. Kennedy also performed extraordinarily well. Not only did he spend 2.6% of his total working days with African leaders, he met with more African counterparts as a percentage of his foreign leader engagements than any other American president. According to our research, Kennedy's Africa meetings represented a quarter of all foreign leader encounters during his administration. Kennedy's commitment to personal engagement with Africans translated into major US policy outcomes, including the establishment of the Peace Corp and US Agency for International Development. And, at least in part due to his personal ties, he persuaded the Guineans, Ghanaians, and Senegalese to deny landing rights to Havana-bound Soviet aircraft during the Cuban Missile Crisis. However, what is striking about our results is how it changes our understanding of which presidents were more involved in Africa. Contrary to conventional wisdom, every Cold War-era president spent more time with African counterparts than their post-Cold War successors, save for George W. Bush. Our data flips the whole historical narrative of neglect during the Cold War and attention in the post-9/11 era. While Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush spent between 1% and 2% of their working days with African counterparts, Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden only dedicated 1% or less to Africa. Trump had the lowest score of all US presidents; he hosted Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta twice and met Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari once. Based on our findings, it is evident that unless a president engages — frequently and with a diverse group of the region's leaders — it is near impossible to significantly and profoundly advance US interests. If you don't believe it, just look at the data.
