Call for SADC to Use Own Resources to Build Industrial Revolution

Pretoria: President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States to use the region's abundant mineral, agricultural, energy, and human resources to drive its own industrial revolution and reduce dependence on external markets. Addressing a Public Lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Westville Campus, President Ramaphosa emphasized that SADC has the resources, markets, and institutions needed to build a prosperous and industrialized region but requires urgent action to transform this potential into reality. According to South African Government News Agency, the lecture was held on the eve of the 46th SADC Summit in Durban under the theme: 'Translating SADC Vision 2050 into Action: Pathways Towards Solidarity, Equality, and Shared Prosperity.' President Ramaphosa noted that the region's reliance on external markets has exposed its economies to global disruptions, thereby undermining the ability to fully leverage its resources. Trade among SADC states currently stands at just under a quarter of their combined total trade. Despite possessing the means to produce necessary goods and services, the region continues to source from beyond its shores. This is partly due to colonial-era infrastructure designed to transport raw materials to ports instead of connecting African economies. The global economic environment, with its conflicts and disruptions, further underscores the need for regional self-reliance. President Ramaphosa highlighted the need for a regional market that cannot be taken away, emphasizing the welfare, sovereignty, and security of SADC countries through a more integrated market. He stressed the importance of developing an industrial model suited to the region's circumstances, given its substantial share of the world's critical mineral resources essential for global energy transitions. Calling for action, President Ramaphosa urged the removal of non-tariff barriers, standard harmonization, and efficient border processes to support regional tra de. He advocated for investments in local processing of critical minerals and agricultural products, as well as regional electricity generation, cross-border water schemes, and infrastructure development. The President also pointed out the significant resource loss through illicit financial flows and identified areas with potential for driving regional industrialization, including pharmaceuticals, automotive manufacturing, agro-processing, paper and pulp, furniture, innovation, and semiconductor value chains. He emphasized health sovereignty and the establishment of a SADC pooled procurement mechanism for equitable access to medicines and health commodities. President Ramaphosa called for integrated infrastructure development, including regional transport corridors, power interconnectors, and renewable energy investments. He warned against reproducing old patterns of economic dependency in the digital economy and called for greater investment in computing capacity, connectivity, and skills. Modernizing agr iculture through investment in irrigation, climate-resilient seeds, veterinary science, and agro-processing was also highlighted as a means to create employment in small towns and villages. Small and medium-sized enterprises were identified as central to the region's industrial transformation, particularly for creating opportunities for women and young people. The transformation envisaged under Vision 2050 requires the region to move beyond exporting raw materials and to become a producer of higher-value goods and services, according to President Ramaphosa.