Donald Trump's cancellation of millions in aid to the country left a massive funding gap. The EU's investment package includes funding to boost vaccine manufacturing and for a transition to clean energy.

The European Union and South Africa are holding their first summit since 2018, the latest step toward shoring up a shaky relationship in a world where both are currently the target of US President Donald Trump’s capricious politics.

European Union leaders announced a 4.7 billion euro ($5.10 billion) investment package during a visit to South Africa on Thursday, at a time when both are on worse terms with the United States than they have been for decades.

Senior European Union officials were in South Africa for a summit Thursday with President Cyril Ramaphosa that centers on bolstering trade and diplomatic ties as both feel the impact of the Trump administration's confrontational foreign policy.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen announced Thursday plans to have billions of euros pumped into investments in South Africa, as Europe seeks to reassert its influence in a country in the crosshairs of the United States.

Senior European Union officials are in South Africa for a summit with President Cyril Ramaphosa that centers on bolstering trade and diplomatic ties as both feel the impact of the Trump administration

The European Union and South Africa held their first summit since 2018 in Cape Town. The EU plans to mobilize 4.7 billion ($5.1 billion) for investment in South Africa that will include money for green energy as well as for the manufacture of vaccines in the country.

The European Union and South Africa vowed to deepen cooperation at a summit on Thursday as both grapple with aid and trade threats from the new US administration. - 'Belief in human dignity' - Both South Africa and the EU are grappling with dramatic policy shifts from Washington since Trump return to the White House this year,