Ramaphosa calls for SADC to industrialise and trade more within the region

President Cyril Ramaphosa says Southern Africa must reduce its dependence on exporting raw materials and relying on distant markets, arguing that the region’s resources, skills and markets can drive its own industrial revolution.

Speaking at a Southern African Development Community (SADC) public lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban on Friday, ahead of the 46th SADC Summit, Ramaphosa said the region’s critical minerals present an opportunity to move beyond mining and create greater value through local processing and manufacturing.

Ramaphosa says SADC countries need to pool their resources, skills and industrial capacity to produce goods within the region, rather than exporting minerals in raw form and importing finished products.

His remarks come as South Africa hosts the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit, which will focus on resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation through infrastructure development, agricultural transformation and the beneficiation of critical minerals.

The summit will also consider food security, regional integration and the operationalisation of the SADC Regional Development Fund, amid growing global economic uncertainty.

Ramaphosa says these global pressures have highlighted the risks of Southern Africa remaining too dependent on external markets.

He says stronger intra-regional trade is therefore critical to building an economy that can withstand global shocks.

Ramaphosa added that SADC has the population, natural resources, markets and capabilities needed to become more economically integrated — but the challenge is turning that potential into a functioning regional market.

His Excellency President @CyrilRamaphosa calls for Southern Africa to use its own resources to drive its own industrial revolution, with greater local processing of critical minerals and agricultural products.

At the SADC Public Lecture, the President emphasises the need for… pic.twitter.com/LkN1Hljclu

— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) August 14, 2026

Written by: Lebohang Ndashe