The European House, Ambrosetti (TEHA) and the South Africa’s (SA) Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA) have signed a three-year partnership renewal aimed at driving private sector investment into Gauteng and the broader Southern African region.
Signed by EHA Africa Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pietro Mininni and GGDA CEO Sthembiso Dlamini, the agreement extends a decade-long collaboration designed to link European and African enterprises through the annual TEHA CEO Dialogue.
Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Agriculture and Rural Development Vuyiswa Ramokgopa underscored the economic weight of the partnership, noting that the province accounted for R2.74 trillion ($164.6 billion), or 62.5%, of SA’s R4.39 trillion ($263.7 billion) in goods trade with the European Union (EU) between 2021 and 2025. Over the past decade, businesses from 19 EU member states have announced 207 investment projects valued at R23 billion ($1.38 billion) in Gauteng, creating more than 18 600 jobs. Bilateral trade with Italy alone reached R163.6 billion ($9.83 billion) over the last five years, supported by 17 Italian-backed projects that have generated over 1 000 local jobs since 2015.
“The new agreement links our partnership to clear and measurable results,” Ramokgopa said, adding that the GGDA will actively track investor leads generated by the forum so that every dialogue leaves behind a tangible pipeline of projects rather than simply a lineup of speakers.
Italy’s Ambassador to SA, Alberto Vecchi, echoed the commitment to long-term economic ties, stating that Italy views Africa not merely as a trade destination, but as a crucial strategic partner. Alstom’s Managing Director for Southern Africa, Tristan Le Masne, pointed to the engineering group’s nearly four-decade presence in the country as proof that EU–SA co-operation delivers sustained job creation.
The renewal comes just ahead of TEHA’s 13th CEO Dialogue on Southern Africa, which opens this Thursday, at the Marriott Hotel in Melrose Arch. The two-day summit brings together more than 200 business and government leaders to focus on mobilising domestic capital, bolstering regional trade, and unlocking investment across infrastructure, mining, and energy.
–ChannelAfrica–
