South Africa and Japan have concluded a cooperation agreement in mining during this year’s annual Investing in African Mining Indaba.

Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane and his counterpart the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, Hiroshige Seko – signed a cooperation agreement in mining, an important bilateral tool to assist the two countries to collaborate in a number of areas across the mining value chain.

The areas of cooperation include exploration and the creation of geo-scientific knowledge; reciprocal investments in South Africa and Japan – based on mineral value chain integration; skills development; environmental issues; research & development; and clean coal technology.

“With the agreement, the two countries acknowledge that Japan, as an important consumer and investor, and South Africa, as a supplier of minerals and most importantly, a key participant in the mineral beneficiation value chain, have complementary interests in mining,” Minister Zwane said.

“Our country cannot grow exclusively on the back of supplying raw minerals to other nations. It is in this context that we wish to invite Japanese companies to invest in South Africa’s downstream mineral development industries, effectively manufacturing and beneficiation as well as production of goods and supply of requisite services,” he added.

Minister Zwane further said that the agreement would serve to strengthen the positive and long-standing political and economic ties to create mutually beneficial economic relations.