SADC leaders urge beneficiation of minerals to boost regional integration
Members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have called for increased beneficiation of minerals extracted from their countries, a long-standing issue that has dominated previous SADC summits and events. The call came as the four-day SADC Summit, hosted in Durban, came to a close on Monday.
Outgoing SADC chairperson and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said that one way to create jobs in the region is by ensuring minerals extracted in member states are processed and exported as market-ready finished products. "The primary goal, among others, is to ensure we add value to our heritage-based resources and move away from exporting raw materials by building local processing, refining and manufacturing capacities across Southern Africa," he said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa echoed Mnangagwa's words, stating that "Every raw material exported without beneficiation represents value that has left our shores. Every product imported that could competitively be manufactured here, represents jobs that could be created in our communities."
Summit theme and regional context
The 46th Summit of the SADC Heads of State and Government was hosted in South Africa under the theme: "Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World." The heads of state collectively consented that the continued dependence on external developers and partners and the export of raw materials slow down regional economic integration and rob SADC people of their heritage values.
President Ramaphosa affirmed the communication of the Executive Secretary, Elias Magosi, who urged the SADC leaders to start working on practical implementation of value addition. Ramaphosa noted that SADC is not only a forum for meetings, but also an instrument that must be practical and aligned with the region's vision.
He highlighted that while the regional transformation agenda has shown progress, the pace of transformation remains slow. The region recorded economic growth of 3.5% in 2025, yet intra-SADC regional trade accounts for only 20%. Ramaphosa said SADC has not yet fully unlocked the potential of the regional market, despite decades of regional integration, and that countries continue to import too many goods that could be produced within the region.
Voices from continental bodies
The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, indicated that three decades ago, African economic integration would be based on the economic regional bodies. He added that the SADC regional body must work together with other regional economic bodies to strengthen synergy in continental governance, peace, and security.
UN Economic Commission for Africa Executive Secretary Claver Gatete asked whether Africa will continue exporting raw materials while others capture high-value stages of production, or become a competitive center for manufacturing innovation and value creation. He stated that industrialisation based on value addition to agriculture and critical minerals is an economic necessity to position Africa for the industry of the future. For generations, Gatete noted, the continent has supplied the world with raw and semi-processed materials, while other countries add value to these resources and market high-value products, limiting job creation in Africa.
Mnangagwa also noted that the retention of value belongs to the people, and that nations, regions, and cities are built by their own people.