Development Co‑operation Profiles: South Africa
Table of contents
South Africa’s international development co-operation forms an integral part of its foreign policy and reflects the country’s commitment to solidarity, South-South co-operation, and the advancement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. It is guided by the principles of democracy, good governance, human rights, solidarity, mutual benefit and partnership. The main objectives of South Africa’s development co-operation are to promote peace and conflict resolution, support socio-economic development, provide humanitarian assistance and advance continental integration. Geographically, South Africa’s development co-operation is oriented to the countries of the Southern African Development Community and the African Union (AU). Assistance is delivered largely through South-South and triangular co-operation.
This profile presents verified data on South Africa’s development assistance allocation. See the Development Co‑operation Profiles.
South Africa’s development co-operation policy is guided by the framework of the African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund (ARF), including the Strategic Plan 2025-2030 and the Annual Performance Plan 2025-2026. These frameworks prioritise the promotion of democracy and good governance, the prevention and resolution of conflicts, socio-economic development and regional integration, humanitarian assistance, and human resource development.
South Africa recognises that socio-economic development depends on peace and stability. Accordingly, it aims to advance its development co-operation through multilateral engagement aligned with the AU and Southern African Development Community’s peace, governance and integration frameworks. South Africa also contributes to global development governance through international platforms. It held the presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20) from 1 December 2024 until 30 November 2025 under the theme of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”. In addition, South Africa co-chaired the International Forum on Total Official Support for Sustainable Development in 2024 and previously held the chairmanship of the AU in 2020, during which it prioritised continental integration through the operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
As the first G20 Summit convened on African soil, South Africa used its 2024-2025 Presidency to express Africa’s development priorities within global economic governance, promoting stronger alignment between G20 processes and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. South Africa’s G20 Presidency culminated in the 2025 Leaders’ Declaration, which reaffirmed the need to reform international financial institutions to make them more representative and development-oriented. Leaders committed to improving sovereign debt treatment under the Common Framework and expanding access to concessional and climate finance for developing countries. The Presidency also underscored the importance of mobilising private capital for development, improving development finance transparency and reinforcing the G20’s contribution to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Source: G20 South Africa Summit (2025), Leaders’ Declaration, https://dirco.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025-G20-Summit-Declaration.pdf.
According to OECD estimates, South Africa’s bilateral international co-operation reached a total of USD 33.04 million in 2024 compared to USD 31.8 million in 2023.1
According to the 2024-2025 Annual Report of the African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund, in financial year 2024/2025, the ARF provided ZAR 97.661 million (USD 5.33 million) in local and foreign assistance to Africa, a major decrease compared to the previous year (ZAR 139.2 million in financial year 2022/2023).2 The ARF’s mandate is to enhance co-operation between South Africa and other countries, in particular African countries, through the promotion of democracy and good governance, the prevention and resolution of conflict, socio-economic development and integration, humanitarian assistance, and human resource development. Examples of democracy and good governance support include election observation missions in Botswana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique and Namibia.
South Africa engages in triangular co-operation, partnering with several Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members such as Canada, the European Commission, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, to support other African countries in areas such as governance, public security and post‑conflict reconstruction. South Africa is a member of the Global Partnership Initiative on Effective Triangular Co-operation.
Learn more about triangular co-operation.
South Africa’s international development co-operation is primarily managed by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). The main instrument used to implement development co-operation is the African Renaissance and the ARF, which is housed within DIRCO. The ARF was established under the African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund Act (Act No. 51 of 2000) to promote co-operation between South Africa and other countries. DIRCO is responsible for the overall strategy and foreign policy direction of South Africa’s development co-operation. Line ministries contribute to the implementation of specific projects while the National Treasury provides financial oversight and must approve funding decisions. Co-ordination is ensured through the ARF Advisory Committee, comprising DIRCO and National Treasury officials, and through compliance with Public Finance Management Act procedures.
Access the full list of providers of development co-operation at this link: Development Co-operation Profiles.
Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO): www.dirco.gov.za/legislative-and-other-mandates.
DIRCO, African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund Act (Act 51 of 2000): https://dirco.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/African-Renaissance-Act.pdf.
DIRCO, African Renaissance and International Co-operation Fund Strategic Plan 2025-2030 and Annual Performance Plan 2025-2026: https://dirco.gov.za/african-renaissance-and-international-cooperation-fund-arf-strategic-plans-and-annual-performance-plans.
DIRCO, African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund 2024-2025 Annual Report: https://dirco.gov.za/2024-2025-annual-report-of-the-african-renaissance-and-international-cooperation-fund.
DIRCO, Department of International Relations and Cooperation Annual Report 2024‑25: https://dirco.gov.za/2024-2025-annual-report-of-the-department-of-international-relations-and-cooperation-dirco.
G20 South Africa Summit (2025), Leaders’ Declaration, https://dirco.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025-G20-Summit-Declaration.pdf.
South Africa is an Adherent to the OECD Recommendation of the Council for Development Co-operation Actors on Managing the Risk of Corruption and the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Learn more about OECD legal instruments and DAC Recommendations.
Since 2007, South Africa has been one of the OECD’s five Key Partners and engages with OECD committees, including the OECD DAC.
South Africa participated in the 2023 and 2025 DAC High-Level Meetings.
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied.
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← 1. See DIRCO’s 2024-2025 Annual Report and 2023-2024 Annual Report. Figures for the 2026 DCR profile are based on an average of financial year 2024/2025 and financial year 2023/2024 due to the timing of the release of the reports and the fiscal years in South Africa. Estimates should not be considered as official development assistance (ODA)-like flows, but rather represent broad international co-operation efforts by South Africa. As expenditures could not be disaggregated, estimates include non-ODA-like flows, such as support to organisations with a global mandate (as opposed to support focused on developing countries in ODA); work with high-income countries; and expenditures that would unlikely be considered as ODA eligible (e.g. meetings on topics beyond the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries). Bilateral sub-components of “Continental Cooperation” and “South-South cooperation” (see p.183) totalled ZAR 110.94 million – or USD 6.05 million - in fiscal year 2024/2025.