Global Heath and Climate Change at Core of UK-SA Bilateral

On 21 November 2022, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in London for an official visit to the UK. The African leader landed at Stansted Airport in London on Monday for a visit which is scheduled to last till Thursday.

Prince William and Princess Kate were present to greet President Ramaphosa at the Corinthia Hotel where he checked in. This visit marked the first official guest whom King Charles III is receiving since he inherited the royal garb from his late mother in September 2022.

On Tuesday, King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla welcomed President Ramaphosa at Buckingham Palace and looked forward to witnessing the UK-SA relationship elevated to the next level.

On Wednesday, President Ramaphosa had a tour of the Francis Crick Institute, one the biggest biomedical research labs in Europe, in the company of Prince Edward. Later, the two countries announced a set of partnerships in biotechnology. British Foreign Minister highlighted that the partnership involves genome sequencing, vaccine manufacturing and will benefit all mankind.

Later during the day, President Ramaphosa went to 10 Downing Street to meet with UK PM Rishi Sunak. Talks revolved around boosting trade and investment between the two countries, with particular emphasis on Global Health and Climate Change. It is worth noting that South Africa is the UK’s largest trading partner in Africa.

“The UK and South Africa have shown global leadership in joining together to protect people by preventing the spread of dangerous diseases, and by working to halt climate change.”

UK Foreign Minister, James Cleverly

Being aware of King Charles’ strong commitment towards #ClimateChange, President Ramaphosa seized the opportunity to express the wish that the two countries could join hands in promoting the #GreenTransition programme of South Africa.