The visit to France of the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Paul Mashatile, from May 21 to 24, 2025, represents a historic opportunity to strengthen bilateral economic relations. Accompanied by a high-level delegation including several ministers, he will host the Franco-South African Investment Conference, a framework conducive to the development of strategic partnerships and the exploration of new avenues of economic collaboration. This event, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in France, benefits from the active support of leading business entities.
Among the influential African figures present, we find our fellow Guinean, Excellency Cheick Keita, a respected economist in business circles in France and internationally. With a career in banking and at the French Ministry of Finance, he is also an ambassador for WUSME (the World Organization for the Advancement of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) and founder of the Pan-African Digital Observatory for Development (OPND). He is behind the CEFMA initiative, which fights against counterfeit medicines in Africa, and chairs OBA (Open Business Africa), a company dedicated to promoting investment in Africa for 27 years.
South African ministers are optimistic about the prospects offered by this visit, which could open up new economic opportunities and strengthen trade and investment relations between the two countries. Vice President Mashatile is leading a large government delegation to the South Africa-France Investment Conference, which is taking place in Paris from May 20 to 23.
The objective of this mission is to strengthen bilateral ties and, above all, to mobilize investment to support South Africa’s ambitions for growth and economic transformation. During the conference, South African officials will participate in high-level discussions on investment opportunities and the country’s economic direction.
Under the theme « South Africa-France: A Partnership for Shared Prosperity, » the conference will highlight eight strategic sectors: energy, infrastructure, transport and logistics, finance, tourism, agriculture and agri-food, mining, and information and communication technologies.
In parallel with this event, Paul Mashatile will also have the opportunity to hold a one-on-one meeting with French Prime Minister François Bayrou to consolidate cooperation between the two nations. The strong and long-standing relations between South Africa and France are based on active cooperation in various fields such as science, education, defense, culture and the arts, and the South Africa Investment Week was closed by a magnificent gala in tuxedos and magnificent evening dresses from the wonderful ladies with inspiring speeches and bearers of the renewal of Africa.
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