South Africa Seeks Partnership with Nigeria to Leverage Lithium for Green Energy Transition

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced South Africa’s interest in collaborating with Nigeria to harness lithium for the green energy transition, particularly in the electric vehicle (EV) battery sector. Speaking at the Nigeria-South Africa Business Roundtable in Cape Town, Ramaphosa emphasized the potential of Nigeria’s lithium reserves to drive industrialisation and called for private sector involvement to build infrastructure and scale manufacturing. He also expressed strong support for Nigeria’s bid to join the G20 and urged more African countries to be represented to amplify the continent’s global influence.