Delivering a public lecture ahead of the 46th SADC Summit at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville Campus on August 14, Ramaphosa said Vision 2050 must move beyond policy ambitions and become a practical programme of action. “Vision 2050 must be more than a statement of intent. It must become a programme of action,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa said SADC was founded on the principle that countries in the region could achieve more through cooperation than acting independently. While political liberation had largely been achieved, Ramaphosa said the next phase required economic transformation and regional industrial development. “Our freedom was interconnected and so too would be our prosperity,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa highlighted the region’s vast mineral wealth, energy resources, agricultural capacity and growing markets, arguing that Southern Africa possesses the ingredients needed to build a competitive industrial economy.
Ramaphosa criticised the continued export of raw materials, saying the region must focus on value addition and manufacturing. “We export the ore, and we import the battery,” Ramaphosa said. “We need to use our own resources to drive our own industrial revolution.”
Ramaphosa urged member states to remove non-tariff trade barriers, harmonise standards and accelerate investment in transport, energy and water infrastructure.
Ramaphosa also called for greater investment in regional electricity generation, transmission networks and industrial corridors such as the North-South, Lobito, Maputo, Beira and Trans-Kalahari corridors.
On healthcare, Ramaphosa said the region should reduce dependence on imported medicines and strengthen pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity. “A region that supplies the world with the minerals of the future should not have to wait upon the world for its medicines,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa warned that youth unemployment remains one of the greatest threats to stability and growth across the region. More than half of SADC’s population is under 30 years old, making skills development and job creation essential for long-term prosperity. “Youth unemployment is one of the gravest threats to the stability, cohesion and progress of every country in our Community,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa also addressed migration, gender-based violence, climate change and regional peace and security. Ramaphosa expressed concern about the recent mistreatment of foreign nationals in SA. “As South Africans, we are deeply concerned and ashamed that nationals from other countries have in recent months been subjected to discrimination and ill-treatment,” Ramaphosa said.
Turning to regional conflicts, Ramaphosa described the situation in the DRC as the region’s most significant peace and security challenge and paid tribute to SADC soldiers who lost their lives during peacekeeping efforts.
Closing the lecture, Ramaphosa urged young people to take ownership of Vision 2050 and help shape the future of Southern Africa. “The renewal of our continent is achievable. The realisation of our vision for Southern Africa is within our means,” Ramaphosa said.
“Let us make good on our commitment to build a peaceful, inclusive, competitive and industrialised Southern Africa.”
–ChannelAfrica–
