NEW DELHI, Jun 3: India and South Africa have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in future technologies, with a special focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital infrastructure and advanced manufacturing. The decision was taken during talks between Union Minister Jitendra Singh and South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Nomalungelo Gina.
During the meeting in New Delhi, Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasized the need to move beyond traditional research cooperation towards innovation-driven partnerships involving startups, industry and emerging technologies. He said both countries possess complementary strengths that can help create affordable and inclusive technological solutions for the developing world.
The two sides agreed to enhance collaboration in advanced materials and manufacturing, geospatial technologies, biotechnology, genomics, vaccine development, health technologies and renewable energy. Discussions also focused on strengthening partnerships in digital technologies, hydrogen technologies and skills development.
South Africa expressed interest in expanding institutional linkages and research collaborations with India. Dr. Gina noted that the two countries have already supported nearly 150 co-funded research projects and are well-positioned to expand cooperation in emerging technology sectors.
The leaders also reviewed cooperation in astronomy, particularly the Square Kilometre Array project, and discussed opportunities for greater collaboration through multilateral platforms such as BRICS.
The meeting concluded with both countries reaffirming their commitment to building a future-ready innovation partnership driven by research excellence, technology development, startup collaboration and scientific exchanges for the benefit of both nations and the broader Global South.