South Africa is looking to boost trade and investment ties with ASEAN, seeing the region as a gateway for growth and innovation, President Cyril Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa said during the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2025 that ASEAN’s dynamic growth in technology, manufacturing and infrastructure offers strong potential for collaboration and knowledge exchange, particularly as South Africa works to diversify its economy and enhance industrial value creation.
“ASEAN is important to us, we want to increase trade and investment while learning from ASEAN’s advancements in technology and modernising our own industries,” he said during a fireside chat moderated by Standard Chartered Malaysia CEO Mak Joon Nien.
He added that South Africa aims to attract ASEAN businesses to invest in high-value sectors such as mining, food processing and renewable energy, leveraging its abundant natural resources and growing consumer market.
Ramaphosa’s visit to Malaysia coincides with the 47th ASEAN Summit, where he is seeking to strengthen economic cooperation and explore new market opportunities.
In 2024, Malaysia remained South Africa’s largest trading partner in Africa, with bilateral trade reaching RM7.82 billion.
