“South Africa and Brazil are working to bring our continents closer together,” says Lula as he receives President Cyril Ramaphosa

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received South African President Cyril Ramaphosa this Monday, March 9, at the Planalto Palace, during a State Visit to Brazil. The agenda focused on strengthening the bilateral partnership and bringing the two countries closer together, with discussions aimed at expanding trade, investment, and cooperation across different areas.

In a statement to the press, President Lula emphasized that the two countries maintain a strategic partnership and intend to deepen ties between their continents. “South Africa and Brazil are working to bring our continents closer together. We are partners in BRICS, in IBAS, and in the G20. We share the struggle for a more balanced and representative global order, based on international law and multilateralism,” he said.

South Africa and Brazil are working to bring our continents closer together. We are partners in BRICS, in IBAS, and in the G20. We share the struggle for a more balanced and representative global order, based on international law and multilateralism."
LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA
President of the Republic of Brazil

Lula highlighted that both governments are committed to expanding bilateral trade, which has remained around USD 2 billion per year for nearly two decades. “South Africa is the most industrialized country on the African continent, and we are the most industrialized in Latin America. Therefore, there is no political explanation for why our trade should not exceed USD 10 billion. Something is missing in our relationship, dear friend,” he said.
To advance this agenda, measures were discussed to stimulate investment, strengthen business cooperation, and expand partnerships across agribusiness, tourism, defense, and the energy transition.

“In agribusiness, we want to move forward in sharing good practices and collaborating on animal health through the Agricultural Cooperation Working Group. The promulgation by Brazil of the Agreement on Cooperation in Defense Matters will open the possibility for new joint projects. South Africa, which is already a destination for EMBRAER aircraft on the African continent, may also become a relevant market for the defense industry,” said President Lula.

SIGNED ACTS — During the agenda, two cooperation acts were signed between Brazil and South Africa. One of them was the Action Plan for the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Tourism. The plan updates the objectives of tourism cooperation between the two countries for the period from 2026 to 2029, focusing on promoting cooperation, information exchange, training, and technical assistance in tourism.

A Memorandum of Understanding on Trade and Investment was also signed between ApexBrasil and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition of the Republic of South Africa, aimed at promoting information exchange, trade, and sustainable investment between the two countries.

“I believe that President Ramaphosa’s visit will allow us to rethink how we engage with South Africa, because we have many similarities, we have much to learn and much to share with South Africa. We have areas such as energy, Brazil has expertise in renewable energy and can exchange experiences with South Africa,” Lula said.

STRONGER TIES — The South African president also stated that the State Visit aims to strengthen the foundations of the partnership in areas such as trade, investment, research, and business cooperation, while encouraging greater integration between the productive sectors of both countries. This is the fourth time the South African leader has visited Brazil, but the first in the form of a State Visit.

“We see Brazil as a strategic partner in many ways and we value its cooperation in a range of areas and issues. South Africa and Brazil share commitments to equality, economic growth, and the eradication of poverty. These shared values provide a strong foundation for continuing to build initiatives of mutual benefit that advance our development and our priorities,” he said.

For Ramaphosa, as the most industrialized economies in their respective continents, the two countries can expand bilateral trade and deepen partnerships across different sectors. “We are confident that we will strengthen the foundations of both countries in relation to trade, investment and several areas where we need to cooperate and invest, trading much more than we currently do,” he stated.

VISITS — During his current term, President Lula has traveled to South Africa twice, in 2025 for the 20th G20 Leaders Summit and in 2023 for the 15th BRICS Summit. Previously, he visited the African country in 2003, 2007, and 2010. The two countries have maintained a strategic partnership since 2010.

TRADE BALANCE — Trade flows between Brazil and South Africa reached USD 2.3 billion in 2025. The main Brazilian exports were poultry meat and edible offal (16.2 percent), sugars and molasses (8.3 percent), and road vehicles (6.9 percent. The main products imported by Brazil from South Africa were silver, platinum, and other platinum group metals (53.9 percent).