Vice President Paul Mashatile has urged Indian business leaders and investors to work with South Africa to build industries that create jobs, advance technology and expand skills to meet the changing needs of the economy.
Addressing the South Africa-India Technology, Trade and Investment Roundtable, he underlined the importance of deeper cooperation in turning global challenges such as unilateralism, climate change and resource scarcity into opportunities.
“So our collective task is to transform these shared challenges into opportunities, climate action into renewal, technology into empowerment, and global governance into a voice for all.
“It is the call of our times to face the limits of our planet with courage, harness the power of innovation with wisdom and defend the dignity of nations with unity.” the Vice President said on Saturday.
He said India's globally competitive micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) ecosystem and South Africa's industrial and entrepreneurial base offer strong complementarity.
To leverage the strengths of both countries, Mashatile proposed the establishment of a South Africa-India Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME) Industrial Linkage Program focused on supply-chain integration, co-production and joint market access.
“This partnership will prioritize areas where our strengths are complementary, including agro-processing, mining beneficiation, renewable energy components, pharmaceuticals and digital services, and will move beyond trade facilitation towards true industrial collaboration.
“Critically, this collaboration must be digital by design. India's experience in technology-enabled MSMEs, including AI and automation, offers valuable lessons as South Africa strengthens the competitiveness of its small business sector,” he said.
Mashatile also called for a shift from technology transfer to technology co-creation.
Mashatile said, “Artificial intelligence will shape competition in mining, logistics, retail and public administration. South Africa and India must be active architects of this transformation by deepening cooperation on AI ethics, governance and public trust.”
He urged businesses to invest in data centres, cloud infrastructure and fiber connectivity to strengthen Africa's digital economy and enable scale under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The Vice President said, “India already has a strong investment footprint in South Africa. We now want to deepen this through benefit-based and manufacturing-focused investments, especially in critical minerals such as platinum group metals, manganese and vanadium, as well as pharmaceuticals and renewable energy technologies.”
Mashatile said South Africa could learn from India's technical training and industrial skills to enhance capacity in software engineering, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and green technologies.
“We will therefore pursue South Africa-India skills and innovation exchange, based on university partnerships, youth technology programs and vocational training tailored to industry demand.
“At the same time, we see strong potential to connect our innovation hubs from Cape Town and Johannesburg to Bengaluru and Hyderabad, creating an Africa-Asia innovation bridge that supports start-ups, co-investments and global scaling,” he said.
The Vice President said that the Global Competence Centers affiliated with India in South Africa provide an important opportunity by taking advantage of the country's skilled talent base and continental reach.
“To focus our collective effort, we propose three key outcomes from this collaboration: First, the launch of the South Africa-India SMME Industrial Linkage Program within the next year.
“Second, the establishment of at least two joint technology or pharmaceutical manufacturing projects to serve African markets. Third, the rollout of a South Africa-India youth technology skills program targeting AI, digital services and advanced manufacturing,” Mashatile said.
He said that these initiatives will provide a solid platform for partnerships, investments and job creation. –sanews.gov.za