SADC Summit 2026: 5 key takeaways as Ramaphosa takes over

President Cyril Ramaphosa calls for SADC commitments to translate into construction projects, factories, power infrastructure, water systems, businesses and jobs that deliver tangible improvements to people’s daily lives.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken over as chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), calling for faster regional integration, stronger trade and industrialisation as the bloc seeks to turn its commitments into tangible improvements for its people.

Here are five key developments from Monday’s 46th SADC Summit in Durban.

Ramaphosa formally accepted South Africa’s responsibility as chairperson of SADC, saying the country would work with all member states to advance the implementation of SADC Vision 2050.

He said South Africa would focus on deepening regional integration, strengthening value chains and expanding intra-African trade.

“We must deepen regional integration so that goods, services, capital, skills can move more efficiently across our borders,” Ramaphosa said.

He also said young people, women and entrepreneurs would be placed at the centre of the region’s economic transformation.

SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi called for the region to stop exporting its critical minerals in raw form and instead develop industries that add value and create jobs.

“The challenge is when do we stop exporting them in raw form and start adding value to them and creating sustainable jobs and wealth. Once more, we do not need permission from anyone to start this process. Let us start now!” Magosi said.

He said SADC had abundant reserves of critical minerals, including platinum group metals, lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese, rare earth elements and copper.

Ramaphosa said the pace of regional transformation remained too slow, noting that intra-SADC trade accounted for only around o ne-fifth of the region’s total trade .

He said countries in the region continued to import goods they could produce themselves and export raw materials that could be processed within SADC.

“We continue to export raw materials that we could process and beneficiate ourselves,” Ramaphosa said.

He said the region had the natural resources, agricultural potential, skills and capabilities needed to drive its own development.