ANTANANARIVO – SADC has called for bold action to reduce dependence on foreign aid and deepen regional integration, warning that unity and self-reliance are crucial to the bloc’s future prosperity.
Speaking at the SADC Council of Ministers meeting yesterday in Antananarivo, Madagascar, SADC Executive Secretary Elias Mpedi Magosi said shrinking foreign aid and global uncertainties should push the region to rely more on its own resources and markets.
“We stand a better chance when we depend more on our own than on external support, which we have absolutely no control over,” Magosi told the gathering.
He added: “This is a critical time for us to remain strong and focused on why we were established – to ensure peace, security and integration.”
The meeting, which sets the stage for the 45th SADC Heads of State and Government Summit for Saturday, was attended by foreign and trade ministers from across the region, including Namibia’s foremost diplomat, International Relations and Trade minister, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi.
Ashipala-Musavyi is participating in the Council of Ministers’ deliberations, which are preparing the ground for the summit, and will also lead Namibia’s delegation to the Ministerial Committee of the SADC Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
The 45th SADC Summit, scheduled for August 16–17, is under the theme ‘Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation and Energy Transition for a Resilient SADC’.
It will focus on strengthening industrial capacity, building regional value chains, modernising agriculture and promoting inclusive energy transitions to create a resilient and sustainable community.
It will bring together SADC heads of state and government, ministers, senior officials, and regional stakeholders to take stock of progress and reaffirm their commitment to integration.
Magosi stressed that the region’s economies cannot continue relying on exporting raw materials, saying the manufacturing sector’s contribution to SADC’s GDP is just 11%, far below the target of 30% by 2030. He urged member states to speed up industrialisation, expand intra-regional trade, and remove barriers to the movement of goods and services.
“If we continue exporting low-value goods, we will miss critical opportunities to modernise our manufacturing sector, create jobs, and fully benefit from our natural resources,” he said.
Outgoing SADC Council of Ministers chairperson and Zimbabwe’s minister of foreign affairs and international trade, Professor Amon Murwira, echoed Magosi’s call, saying the region must be driven by the vision of its founding fathers, a peaceful, secure, self-sufficient, and united community.
“This was not a vision born out of convenience, but one driven by strategic foresight,” Murwira said. “Let us remove any barriers amongst ourselves as we pursue regional integration for the prosperity and dignity of our people. Let us harmonise our systems and talk one language – the language of integration.”
Murwira urged other member states to follow Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe in allowing visa-free travel for SADC citizens, saying freer movement would strengthen unity. He also warned that peace and security remain the foundation of economic progress, stressing the importance of collective action to resolve conflicts such as the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“An injury to one is an injury to us all. The threats to the peace we enjoy, if not contained, will undermine intra-SADC trade and the very fabric of our integration agenda,” he said.
Both leaders emphasised that the slow signing and ratification of SADC protocols is a major stumbling block to progress. Without timely ratification, they said, the region’s ability to build a strong rules-based framework for development is weakened.
Magosi also highlighted major energy projects underway to connect Angola, Malawi and Tanzania to the Southern African Power Pool by 2028, as well as efforts to launch pooled procurement of medicines to cut costs and improve health services.
Murwira noted that this year’s theme captures the core priorities for the bloc’s future. He urged member states to take ownership of regional projects, harness natural resources, and “reduce reliance on external support.”
Handover
The handover of the Council of Ministers chairmanship from Zimbabwe to Madagascar was marked by pledges of unity and mutual support. Murwira assured the incoming chairperson of “Zimbabwe’s full support” and urged all member states to work together to strengthen SADC.
“Brick by brick and stone upon stone, we will continue building a stronger, united SADC that is a beacon of hope, stability, and progress,” Murwira said.