Overview
- President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the 46th Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community in Durban, which on Monday formally began with speeches at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre.
- He called on leaders to accelerate economic integration and deliver what he called the 'dividend of economic liberation' by creating decent jobs and growing regional industries.
- Ramaphosa outlined five priorities for the decade: industrialisation and regional value chains; infrastructure investment for roads, rail, ports and water; energy, water and digital security; climate‑resilient food systems; and using the African Continental Free Trade Area to boost trade.
- He noted progress in regional mechanisms such as the SADC Free Trade Area, the Southern African Power Pool and a regional real‑time gross settlement system, and he cited joint health responses like the Ebola effort in the DRC as examples of cooperation.
- South Africa hosted a state banquet that stressed SADC unity and hospitality, and summit proceedings will now move from speeches to leader deliberations where members are expected to seek ways to turn commitments into measurable projects.