South Africa

The EU and South Africa collaborate to ensure the just energy transition while at the same time supporting communities and workers affected by the transition. Launched at COP26 and expanded in 2023, the Just Energy Transition (JET) brings together international partners to support South Africa’s transition with funding and expertise. Key areas of cooperation include:

• Supporting the ‘Just’ component of the JET: Through skilling, reskilling and upskilling interventions, strengthening small businesses in the green economy and enhancing municipalities performance and resilience to reduce inequalities in regions impacted by the transition.
• Developing the green hydrogen sector: Promoting projects like “Transnet Green Hydrogen” and “Climate Investor 3” to foster a green hydrogen economy and develop infrastructure for sustainable energy and logistics.
• Enhancing electricity transmission: Through technical assistance in the transmission sector and strengthening South Africa’s energy storage capacity to ensure grid stability and economic efficiency and supporting infrastructure projects such as “Eskom Tubatse Pumped Storage” to improve energy security.
• Critical raw materials: Through research and innovation, capacity building, and private sector development. Supporting development of sustainable CRM value chain in SA to promote its green industrialisation.

As part of the Team Europe Initiative on manufacturing vaccines and pharmaceutical products (MAV+), the EU partners with South Africa to strengthen Africa’s health sovereignty by enhancing vaccine production capabilities. Key initiatives include:

• Boosting private sector investment by expanding Biovac’s mRNA vaccine production, developing a multi-vaccine manufacturing facility, and strengthening Aspen’s vaccine production capacity in Gqeberha.
• Enhancing the enabling environment through collaboration with GIZ to strengthen regulatory frameworks, including support for SAHPRA and mapping human resource needs.
• Investing in skills and knowledge by supporting WHO’s mRNA technology transfer hub at Afrigen, establishing a Centre of Excellence for health product safety, Biomanufacturing Workforce Development Hub for active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and non-mRNA vaccines and funding vaccine research and development to strengthen local supply chains.

Through the Team Europe Initiative ‘Jobs for the Future South Africa,’ the EU collaborates with South Africa to foster inclusive growth, expand access to quality education, and strengthen employment opportunities. Our joint actions focus on:

• Improving education and skills by supporting primary education quality, strengthening technical and vocational training (TVET), and expanding access to higher education through Erasmus+ mobility programmes and regional academic initiatives.
• Enhancing job readiness and employability by investing in teacher training, research collaborations, and vocational education linked to market needs, including support for green economy skills and digital education.
• Promoting entrepreneurship and employment by supporting small businesses (MSMEs), strengthening entrepreneurship ecosystems, and funding job creation initiatives in key economic sectors.
• Advancing gender equality and social inclusion through initiatives tackling gender-based violence, promoting women’s empowerment, and strengthening support for vulnerable communities, including LGBTIQ+ individuals.

The EU collaborates with South Africa to strengthen strategic transport corridors, improving connectivity, trade, and sustainability, with a focus on the North-South Corridor. Key initiatives include:

• Block train: Supporting project development for single railway operation along the North-South corridor. 
• Promotion of low carbon projects for road, rail and port infrastructure to enhance domestic and cross border trade, through loan and grants to Transnet (SA public company)
• Facilitating trade and transport: Implementing measures for cost-effective and sustainable transport solutions that streamline freight movement and reduce emissions.
• Addressing consumer safety for agricultural exports to the EU (e.g. by providing a provision for laboratory equipment).

Together with the EU, South Africa works to enhance climate resilience, water management, and urban sustainability. Measures include:

• Supporting municipalities in climate adaptation: Greening public services, improving waste management, and increasing energy efficiency to improve municipal resilience.
• Protecting marine ecosystems: Supporting sustainable management of the Benguela Current ecosystem and tackling marine pollution and overfishing.

The EU partners with South Africa to advance digital connectivity, governance, and innovation, notably by:

• Enhancing digital regulation: Strengthening ICT policies and cross-border data governance to foster a secure and competitive digital economy.
• Expanding rural connectivity: Supporting telecom infrastructure development in underserved areas to increase internet access and digital inclusion.

Together, the EU and South Africa promote democracy, accountability, and civic engagement. This includes:

• Empowering civil society: Strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) to influence policymaking and advocate for citizen’s rights.
• Improving public financial management: Strengthening budget transparency, anti-corruption measures, and investment environments to support good governance.
• Building policy partnerships: Supporting technical cooperation and evidence-based policymaking to ensure well-informed economic and governance reforms.
• Fostering cultural cooperation, also on a regional level, by strengthening Africa-Europe partnerships in museums, heritage conservation, and the audiovisual industries, promoting artistic exchange and innovation.

The EU also works with South Africa to enhance protection for refugees, address forced displacement, fight illicit financial flows and strengthen regional security. Key initiatives include:

• Enhancing maritime security - Improving port security, strengthening safety measures, and supporting regional efforts to combat maritime threats in Africa.
• Fighting illicit financial flows linked to transnational organised crime by strengthening Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) frameworks and capacities, fostering a “follow-the-money” approach and aligning with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards.
• Strengthening asylum capacity by supporting the development of a more effective protection framework for refugees in South Africa
• Advancing data and research on migration and forced displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa, including in South Africa, to support evidence-based policy-making and programming.