President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa is extending safety within the nation to not solely make it safer for residents however to additionally make it a extra engaging tourism vacation spot.
The President was talking in the course of the South Africa – Saudi Arabia Funding Discussion board in Saudi Arabia the place he’s at the moment on an official state go to.
The current homicide of a German vacationer throughout a botched hijacking on the Kruger Nationwide Park in Mpumalanga has rocked the South African tourism business with SA Nationwide Parks calling the incident a “enormous setback” for the sector.
“[We] are certainly a number one tourism vacation spot, together with for guests from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. Our wildlife tourism is a selected draw card for vacationers from the area. Past the necessity to facilitate higher tourism between our two international locations, there are a lot of funding alternatives for Saudi companies.
“To make sure that as we develop our personal tourism business, we deepen and prolong safety to ensure that there’s sufficient safety that may make our nation even far more engaging,” President Ramaphosa mentioned.
Turning to funding in renewable power, President Ramaphosa mentioned he “appears ahead” to seeing Saudi Arabian renewable power corporations and applied sciences coming into the South African market.
South Africa has launched into a renewable power technique which is aimed toward lowering the load on Eskom’s coal fired technology fleet whereas additionally bringing down the nation’s carbon footprint.
“We hope to see you partnering with South African corporations, as we improve our renewable power technology footprint and manufacture inexperienced power parts. And we’re significantly happy that Saudi Arabia is effectively steeped within the area of renewable power and broad power,” he mentioned.
President Ramaphosa mentioned one other space of “potential synergies” between the 2 international locations is the inexperienced hydrogen financial system which has been billed as a brand new frontier for clear power.
To its benefit, South Africa holds not less than 80% of the world’s platinum group metals and 40% of the world’s platinum and palladium provides that are key parts within the manufacturing of hydrogen.
“Saudi buyers will discover substantial alternatives to leverage in South Africa on this regard. Equally, there are alternatives for South African enterprise to leverage at [Saudi Arabia’s Green Hydrogen Project] NEOM as effectively.
“We’re the world’s largest producer of platinum, a key enter in hydrogen gasoline cell expertise. Our formidable plans to unlock the potential of the inexperienced hydrogen financial system embrace creating a hydrogen valley that stretches from the platinum belt in our nation by way of the nation’s industrial heartland,” he mentioned.
The President highlighted that funding alternatives into South Africa’s inexperienced hydrogen sector are already on the rise.
“Quite a few multinational buyers like annual American platinum, have already begun leveraging these alternatives.
“Saudi funding throughout the worth chain of the inexperienced hydrogen financial system won’t simply assist South Africa’s financial targets, however these of Saudi Arabia as effectively in his ongoing drive in direction of sustainability,” he mentioned.