SADC integration is too slow and trade is lagging, Ramaphosa says at SADC summit

Intra-SADC trade accounts for only about one-fifth of the region’s total trade, according to Ramaphosa, underscoring the gap between decades of regional integration efforts and the economic ties the bloc has sought to build.

While our regional integration agenda is making progress, the pace of transformation remains too slow,

Ramaphosa said at the 46th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.

After decades of integration, we have not yet unlocked the full potential of our regional market,

he said.

The push for greater trade integration will also extend to the African Continental Free Trade Area, which Ramaphosa said should provide SADC businesses with access to a continental market of more than 1.4-billion people.

The remarks set the economic priorities for SA’s 2026/27 chairpersonship, which will seek to advance SADC Vision 2050 and build a more integrated regional economy.

Ramaphosa also linked economic integration to the region’s political stability, saying peace and development were mutually dependent.