Southern African leaders gathered in Madagascar over the weekend for a landmark SADC summit, marking the island nation’s first time hosting since joining the bloc 20 years ago. Under the theme “Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation, and Energy Transition for a Resilient SADC,” discussions centered on boosting manufacturing, modernizing agriculture, and promoting cleaner energy. Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina, who assumed the rotating chair from Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa, hailed the summit as “historic” and called for urgent action to boost industrialization. With manufacturing currently contributing just 11% to SADC’s GDP, largely driven by South Africa, the bloc aims to nearly triple that figure to 30% by 2030. The ambitious plan seeks to reduce reliance on imports while creating jobs and strengthening cross-border supply chains.
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