DURBAN, South Africa: Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Senator Pholile Shakantu has called for a new approach to industrialisation in Southern Africa, one that places citizens at the centre of economic transformation and ensures that the region benefits more from its natural resources.
Shakantu made the call after attending the 46th Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in Durban, South Africa, on 17 August 2026, as part of His Majesty King Mswati III’s delegation.
The summit was held under the theme, “Resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World”. 
The summit also coincided with the anniversary of the establishment of the Southern African Development Community. On 17 August 1992, in Windhoek, Namibia, the Southern African Development Coordination Conference, which had been established in 1980, was transformed through a treaty into SADC as a regional organisation.
The treaty identifies several objectives for the regional bloc, including promoting sustainable economic growth and development, reducing poverty, improving the quality of life, advancing regional integration and cooperation, and supporting the sustainable use of natural resources.
It also commits member states to promoting peace, security and political stability, while supporting disadvantaged groups and communities.
Reflecting on SADC’s development over the past 46 years, Shakantu said the region had made progress in addressing socio-economic challenges and strengthening cooperation among member states.
However, she said Southern Africa now needed to focus on transforming its natural resources, agricultural potential and infrastructure into productive industries capable of creating decent employment and improving living standards.
“Industrialization in Southern Africa must be redefined,” Shakantu said.
She said industrialisation should not be limited to the construction of factories, but should include local value addition, technological innovation, skills development, stronger regional trade and broader economic participation.
According to Shakantu, an integrated approach would help ensure that the benefits of industrialisation reach all citizens, particularly marginalised and underrepresented communities.
She said the region’s estimated 400 million citizens should be treated not only as workers, but also as active participants in the industrialisation process.
“This means shifting from a model where individuals are merely seen as cheap labor for multinational corporations to one where they can become owners and innovators in their own right,” she said.
Shakantu called for greater support for entrepreneurship and local businesses, saying domestic enterprises should be given the opportunity to grow alongside foreign direct investment.
While acknowledging the importance of foreign direct investment in stimulating economic growth, she said member states should adopt a balanced approach that also prioritises local investors and businesses.
She said strengthening local entrepreneurship was necessary to advance economic justice and give ordinary citizens a greater opportunity to participate in and benefit from economic growth.
Agriculture and food security
Shakantu said agriculture should move beyond the export of unprocessed crops and instead focus on agro-processing, storage, packaging, food manufacturing and distribution.
She said this approach could help reduce food imports, create employment in rural communities and improve food security across the region.
Among the measures required, she listed better irrigation systems, access to finance and technology for farmers, expanded agricultural extension services, support for cooperatives and strategies to reduce post-harvest losses.
She also called for greater adoption of climate-smart agriculture, noting that droughts, floods and changing weather patterns continued to threaten agricultural production.
Women and young people, she said, should have equal access to land, finance, training and markets, as their participation was essential to achieving inclusive agricultural growth.
Processing critical minerals
The minister also raised concern over the continued export of unprocessed critical minerals from SADC countries.
She said exporting raw minerals limited the economic benefits received by the region because it created fewer jobs, generated less technological development and allowed countries to capture only a small share of the value produced along global supply chains.
“In many cases, the region exports the resources needed to manufacture advanced products and later imports those products at a much higher cost,” she said.
As Southern Africa approaches five decades of regional cooperation, Shakantu said member states should take greater collective responsibility for developing and managing the region’s mineral resources.
She proposed a coordinated regional minerals strategy covering exploration, responsible extraction, processing, refining and manufacturing.
The strategy, she said, should support the creation of integrated value chains for refined metals, batteries, renewable energy equipment, electric vehicles and other technologies.
Shakantu said meaningful development in Southern Africa would require a substantial transfer of wealth and opportunities to citizens.
This would involve investing in education and training, equipping people with skills for emerging industries, fostering innovation and creating supportive networks for local entrepreneurs.
She said the approach would help create sustainable growth capable of benefiting the entire region and positioning SADC as a model of prosperity, inclusion and economic justice.
Southern Africa, she said, could become more resilient and prosperous by applying the principles of the SADC Treaty through coordinated infrastructure development, diversified industries, sustainable agriculture and regional critical mineral value chains.
She said the goal should extend beyond increased production to include shared prosperity, economic independence, environmental protection and a fairer global economic system.
