South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken the helm as chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) at its 46th Ordinary Summit in Durban.
The importance of the bloc must be understood in the context that intra-SADC trade sits at $1,832 billion, which accounts for about 26.83% of their total trade.
This year's gathering focuses on an ambitious theme: "Resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World," highlighting the region's commitment to economic growth, social inclusion, and climate resilience.
The summit also marks 34 years since SADC's establishment, reflecting on its journey from the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC) to a 16-member bloc with a population of 400 million, driving regional integration and development.
The community comprises 16 member states: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
SADC's core objectives include driving progress and prosperity across the region, working to reduce and ultimately eliminate poverty, improving living conditions for all citizens and ensuring regional integration benefits all segments of society.
Delivering his welcome address on Monday, Ramaphosa stated: "While our regional integration agenda is making progress, the pace of transformation remains too slow. Our region recorded economic growth of approximately 3.4 per cent in 2025. Yet, intra-SADC trade accounted for only around one-fifth of the region’s total trade. After decades of integration, we have not yet unlocked the full potential of our regional market."
He said this Summit must therefore accelerate implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020–2030.
“We must deepen industrialisation and build regional value chains.The minerals and agricultural commodities of our region must become the foundation of Southern African manufacturing.”
Some of the key products exchanged within SADC include:
- Minerals and Metals: Mineral fuels, copper, ores, iron ores, and precious stones.
- Chemicals and Plastics: Inorganic chemicals and various plastic products.
- Machinery and Vehicles: Mechanical and electrical appliances, and goods vehicles.
- Agriculture and Food: Tobacco, beverages, maize, and sugar products.
The Durban discussions will focus on SADC's strategic priorities, emphasising regional cooperation, integration, and development. Specific areas of focus included:
- Regional Industrialisation and Economic Development: Accelerating industrialisation by developing regional value chains, particularly in agriculture, critical minerals (like cobalt and graphite), and pharmaceuticals. This includes a push to move beyond exporting raw materials towards local processing and manufacturing.
- Infrastructure Modernisation: Expanding and modernising critical regional infrastructure such as energy systems, transport corridors, ports, digital networks, and water infrastructure, all vital for trade, industrial growth, and job creation.
- Food and Nutrition Security: With an anticipated severe 2026/27 El Niño season, a major focus was placed on regional preparedness, disaster response, and strengthening the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC).
- Peace and Security: Security remains a fundamental pillar, with particular attention given to the political and security situations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Madagascar.
wendy.jdc@nationalmg.co.za