President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa to address opportunities to deepen our relationship, identify next steps on issues of mutual importance, and discuss regional and global challenges. Together they discussed progress on several of the topics outlined during their initial call in April, including trade and investment and climate and energy. To this end, President Biden announced the creation of a South Africa-U.S. Investment Advisory Task Force and a planned $45 million investment toward the Just Energy Transition Partnership.
The two leaders also committed to addressing several of the world's most urgent challenges over which we both share concern, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its negative consequences for food security in Africa. The meeting reaffirmed the value of our longstanding partnership, and underscored South Africa's influential voice in global affairs.
