‘A truck should not spend days waiting at a border’ — Ramaphosa at SADC summit

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the 46th SADC Summit in Durban, advocating for the accelerated establishment of One-Stop Border Posts across Southern Africa. He emphasized that trucks carrying goods should not wait days at borders. The summit, themed "Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World," focused on various key areas, including strengthening regional peace and security, increasing investment in infrastructure, energy, water, digital connectivity, and climate-resilient food systems.

Ramaphosa stressed that the future prosperity and development of individual countries are tied to the region's collective progress. The summit reviewed the implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan and SADC Vision 2050, as well as the peace and security situation in the region. They reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful solutions, dialogue, and conflict resolution through regional and multilateral cooperation.

The ultimate goal of regional integration was to improve the lives of Southern Africans. Ramaphosa called for the development of infrastructure binding economies together and urged the operationalisation of regional corridors to connect production centers to markets and enable more efficient movement of goods, services, and people.

He also highlighted the importance of accelerating the establishment of One-Stop Border Posts and modernising railway networks, ports, and road systems. Ramaphosa expressed determination to increase access to electricity across the region, aiming for at least 85% coverage by 2030, and to strengthen regional electricity interconnection and energy infrastructure.

Investment in water, sanitation, energy, and transport infrastructure was seen as an investment in human dignity and economic opportunity.