Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh held bilateral talks with South Africa's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr Nomalungelo Gina in New Delhi on June 3, 2026, calling for a 'Next-Generation Technology Partnership' anchored in emerging technologies. The visiting minister led a high-level delegation that sought to scale up cooperation in Artificial Intelligence, Digital Infrastructure and Advanced Manufacturing, with both sides agreeing to deepen joint work under the India-South Africa Joint Committee mechanism.

Context

In his post on X, Dr. Jitendra Singh said he had, 'On behalf of India, called for Next-Generation Technology Partnership, focused on Emerging Technologies,' and noted that the South African side 'sought to scale up bilateral cooperation in future technologies, with Artificial Intelligence, Digital Infrastructure and Advanced Manufacturing as key priorities.'

The minister framed the meeting as a continuation of a long-running scientific relationship, asserting that 'the two countries possess complementary strengths that can be leveraged to create affordable, scalable and inclusive technological solutions for the developing world.' He said discussions yielded a decision to intensify collaboration in Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Geospatial Technologies and Digital Infrastructure.

Policy backdrop

India and South Africa have anchored their scientific cooperation in a formal Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement signed in 1995, which created the institutional framework for joint research funding and laboratory linkages. The current engagement builds on that base, with the India-South Africa Joint Committee identifying the priority verticals reiterated at the talks.

The minister also referenced the existing portfolio of joint work, noting that the two countries 'have already built an extensive network of collaborative research initiatives, including nearly 150 co-funded projects across diverse scientific disciplines.' These projects span the BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Framework Programme, which was launched in 2015 to support co-funded research across member states, and complementary initiatives under the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum established in 2003.

Stakeholders and impact

The agenda places scientific researchers, start-ups and technology innovators in both countries at the centre of a Global South push to deliver low-cost, scalable solutions. India has progressively positioned its digital public infrastructure stack, AI capabilities and advanced materials research as building blocks for developing-country deployment, while South Africa brings strengths in astronomy, geosciences and advanced manufacturing.

The repeated emphasis on 'affordable, scalable and inclusive' technology signals that the bilateral track is being calibrated for developing-world contexts rather than frontier competition with industrialised economies. Successive India-Africa Forum Summits since 2008 have flagged science, technology and innovation as a pillar of capacity-building, and the Pretoria-Delhi channel is among the most active under that umbrella.

What's next

Dr. Jitendra Singh 'invited South Africa's active participation in the BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meeting scheduled to be held at Chennai in August 2026.' The Chennai meeting will be a key marker of India's stewardship of the BRICS STI track and is expected to produce a fresh declaration on joint research priorities.

In return, the South African side 'invited India to participate in the Science Forum South Africa 2026, one of Africa's premier platforms for global scientific dialogue, knowledge exchange and innovation partnerships.' The reciprocal invitations point to a sustained calendar of engagement through 2026, with the AI, digital infrastructure and advanced manufacturing baskets likely to anchor deliverables.

If the Chennai ministerial produces concrete co-funding commitments in these verticals, the India-South Africa channel could emerge as a template for how BRICS partners convert framework agreements into deployable technology for the wider Global South.