CNN’s Connecting Africa speaks to Patrice Motsepe

CNN’s Eleni Giokos speaks with South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe about his investment in the continent’s industrial future. From exploring the potential of mining precious metals to utilizing the latest renewable energy technology and leveraging digital banking, CNN’s Connecting Africa explores how Mr. Motsepe’s business ventures are pushing the continent forward.

Motsepe has built a number of trailblazing companies across the mining, renewable energy and financial services sectors. Growing up in South Africa, where the unemployment rate still stands at more than 30%, Motsepe tells Giokos his business acumen came from the desire to help the continent and its people reach their full potential, “Part of my obligation is to contribute to us the development of the economy and create hope for millions of people, particularly in the country where there’s such a high unemployment rate.”

With Africa being home to nearly a third of the world’s critical mineral reserves, Motsepe says it’s crucial to find a way to keep the complete mining value chain within the continent, “We have to create a legal fiscal tax, a monetary dispensation in every country where there are world-class minerals that are attractive and that compete, that allow those mining companies to want to come to Africa rather than other parts of the world.”

Motsepe founded African Rainbow Energy and Power in 2012 to focus on building affordable clean solutions in South Africa and beyond. Motsepe tells Giokos about his company’s investment in renewable energy, “We started buying mines that nobody wanted, that weren’t profitable, that were old and that were marginal, but we had plans and strategies to be a low cost producer and what made us unique was that we allowed the workers to share in the profits when things are good and when things were not so good, we’d go through the difficulties together.”

Motsepe tells Giokos his company is focused on empowering the lives of everyday Africans, “The primary objective was to provide financial access to allow the poor who could not participate in the economy to give them access to financial services and to make them part of the economy at the lowest possible cost.”

Motsepe also serves as the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the governing body of the sport across the continent. In the interview, he delves into what he thinks it will take to bring African football to the next level, “South Africa is a sports crazy country, and we are football crazy […]. But part of our involvement as a family in football is philanthropy. To give back to the people of South Africa and the people of the continent that have contributed enormously to the success and growth of us as a family, you have to give hope and give opportunities to the unemployed, the marginalized. And the best way to do that is to provide education, but sports is an enormous unify and an important force for good.”

Giokos ends the interview by asking if Motsepe believes the continent is close to reaching its full footballing potential. Motsepe responds, “We are confident that at some stage an African nation will be champions of the world, but that requires investment in both football for boys and football for girls, starting at schools level, partnerships with the governments, partnership with the private sector and also paying our players and our coaches very, very well. So, the benefits are far reaching.”

These interviews were featured on the latest episode of Connecting Africa on CNN International.

https://edition.cnn.com/business/markets/connecting-africa

Connecting Africa airs on CNN International at the following times:

• Sunday 5th July 2026 at 09:30 SAST, 12:00 SAST and 23:30 SAST
• Monday 6th July 2026 at 22:45 SAST
• Tuesday 7th July 2026 at 22:45 SAST
• Saturday 11th July 2026 at 09:30 SAST
• Sunday 12th July 2026 at 03:30 SAST, 06:30 SAST and 19:30 SAST
• Monday 13th July 2026 at 05:00 SAST

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.

Author: Tshegofatso Nkubone from Burson on behalf of CNN.

Read More at MyPR.co.za

Gold Palm Consulting: Software development company based in Margate, South Africa. The team focuses on Custom Software
Development and Public Relations.