Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina on Sunday assumed the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), urging member states to accelerate industrialisation and boost intra-regional trade to strengthen economic resilience.
Rajoelina took over the rotating presidency from Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa during the opening of the 45th SADC Heads of State and Government Summit in Antananarivo.
This marks Madagascar’s first time at the helm of the 16-member regional bloc.
The summit is being held under the theme, “Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation and Energy Transition for a Resilient SADC”, which Rajoelina described as a strategic blueprint for regional self-reliance and inclusive growth.
“This theme is not just a slogan—it is a pact,” Rajoelina said.
He said the theme reflects SADC’s shared ambition to produce and transform locally, reduce imports and build regional value chains that create decent and sustainable jobs.
He noted that intra-SADC trade currently accounts for only 18 percent of total trade, calling it “too little” and urging deeper economic integration.
“It’s time to further industrialise, better connect our economies and strengthen our collective autonomy,” he added.
Rajoelina noted that achieving this vision would require investment in financial resources, human capital and sustained political will from regional leaders.
SADC’s industrialisation agenda has been a recurring priority at annual summits since the adoption of the August 2014 meeting held in Zimbabwe.
The 2014 summit culminated in the adoption of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap in April 2015, which aims to shift the region from commodity dependence to value-added production.
The Antananarivo summit brought together heads of state and government from across the region, including leaders from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Other member states – Angola, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Seychelles, Tanzania and Zambia – were represented by vice presidents or senior ministers.
The summit is expected to review progress on regional integration, peace and security, and economic development while setting priorities for the coming year under Madagascar’s leadership.
JN/APA