Elias Magosi Calls for Action to Counter Global Economic and Geopolitical Shocks

Speaking before foreign ministers and regional policymakers gathered at the retreat, Magosi described the current global environment as a period of structural transformation rather than temporary instability.

Southern African Development Community (SADC) Executive Secretary Elias Magosi has called on member states to urgently move beyond dialogue and translate regional discussions into concrete action as Southern Africa faces mounting pressure from geopolitical instability, economic fragmentation, climate-related disruptions, and global supply chain shocks.

Addressing delegates at the SADC Ministers of Foreign Affairs Retreat in Skukuza within South Africa's Kruger National Park, Magosi warned that the international system is undergoing one of the most profound transformations in modern history, with far-reaching consequences for Africa's development trajectory and economic resilience.

Speaking before foreign ministers and regional policymakers gathered at the retreat, Magosi described the current global environment as a period of structural transformation rather than temporary instability.

"It is both an honour and a profound responsibility for me to address this august Retreat of SADC Ministers of Foreign Affairs at a time when the international landscape is undergoing one of the most profound and consequential transformations in modern history," Magosi said.

The Executive Secretary explained that the global order is increasingly being shaped by geopolitical rivalry, economic fragmentation, technological competition, and weakening multilateral cooperation mechanisms, all of which are creating new vulnerabilities for developing regions such as Southern Africa.

"The global order is experiencing a deep structural transformation characterised by intensifying geopolitical competition, economic fragmentation, technological rivalry, and growing uncertainty in international cooperation and multilateralism," he stated.

Magosi noted that a series of global crises over the past several years — including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia–Ukraine conflict, and rising tensions in the Middle East — have exposed the fragility of global systems while significantly affecting Southern African economies.

"These events…have disrupted global systems in unprecedented ways, altering trade flows, investment patterns, energy markets, financial conditions, and geopolitical alignments, with far-reaching implications for the development of the region," he said.

According to Magosi, the region can no longer afford to remain dependent on external systems that are increasingly vulnerable to geopolitical competition and instability. Instead, SADC countries must strengthen regional economic resilience through deeper cooperation, industrialisation, energy security, infrastructure development, and food system transformation.

He explained that the retreat provides an opportunity for member states to collectively reassess regional priorities and develop coordinated strategies capable of protecting Southern Africa's strategic interests in an increasingly uncertain world.

"This Retreat, therefore, provides a timely opportunity for Member States as a collective, to reflect deeply on how best to safeguard the Region's strategic interests… and how to enhance our collective capacity to respond effectively and decisively to the increasingly uncertain global environment," Magosi said.

The Executive Secretary further warned that the international system itself is being fundamentally reconfigured, with trade, finance, technology, and strategic resources increasingly becoming tools of geopolitical influence and competition.

"What we are witnessing today is not merely a temporary cycle of instability, but a fundamental reconfiguration of the global system itself," he cautioned.

Magosi highlighted that many SADC member states remain heavily dependent on imported energy resources, fertilizers, machinery, and industrial inputs, making them particularly vulnerable to global disruptions.

"Many of our Member States remain dependent on imported energy, fertilizers, machinery, and industrial inputs," he said.

He also pointed to rising debt burdens, limited economic diversification, constrained fiscal capacity, and external financing dependence as major factors amplifying economic vulnerability across Southern Africa.

The Executive Secretary observed that recent disruptions to global maritime logistics and supply chains demonstrated how external shocks originating far beyond Africa's borders can significantly impact the affordability and availability of critical goods including food, fuel, medicines, fertilizers, and industrial materials.

"These disruptions affect not only imports and exports, but also the affordability and availability of food, fuel, fertilizers, medicines, and industrial inputs essential for our economic activity," Magosi said.

Agriculture and food security were identified as areas of growing concern, with Magosi warning that rising production costs, climate variability, and livestock diseases are increasing pressure on rural livelihoods and regional food systems.

"In the agricultural sector, the implications are especially serious," he stated, citing Foot and Mouth Disease as one of the challenges affecting agricultural productivity and food security.

Despite the challenges facing the region, Magosi emphasised that Southern Africa remains exceptionally rich in natural resources, strategic trade routes, renewable energy potential, critical minerals, oil, and gas reserves.

"Few regions possess the combination of resources, geographic positioning, and market potential that SADC commands," he noted.

However, he warned that the region continues to export raw materials while importing finished and higher-value goods, a pattern that limits industrial growth, job creation, and long-term economic transformation.

"In other words, we continue to export jobs and import inflation," Magosi remarked.

The Executive Secretary therefore called for stronger efforts toward industrialisation, value addition, beneficiation of natural resources, and expansion of regional manufacturing capacity. He also urged member states to deepen cooperation in energy security through the strengthening of the Southern African Power Pool, increased cross-border electricity trade, pipeline development, refining infrastructure, and renewable energy investment.

Infrastructure and logistics integration were also highlighted as critical components of regional competitiveness and economic integration. Magosi stressed that efficient transport corridors, ports, and logistics systems are essential for reducing trade costs and improving intra-African commerce.

At the financial level, Magosi called for improved domestic resource mobilisation, stronger coordination on debt management, and more strategic approaches toward external financing. He warned that access to international finance is increasingly linked to geopolitical interests and strategic resource competition.

He identified the proposed Regional Development Fund (RDF) as a potentially important instrument for reducing dependence on external financing while supporting industrialisation, infrastructure projects, and strategic regional priorities.

"The RDF offers an opportunity for SADC to mobilise resources for regional priorities, support strategic infrastructure and industrialisation programmes," he said.

Magosi also urged foreign ministers to expand the traditional role of diplomacy beyond political relations and security issues to include economic transformation, industrial policy, trade strategy, climate policy, and global governance reform.

"Ministers of Foreign Affairs are therefore not only astute custodians of political relations, but also architects of the region's collective engagement with the global economy and international system," he stated.

The SADC Secretariat, according to Magosi, expects the retreat to deliver practical and actionable outcomes capable of strengthening regional resilience, improving policy coordination, and accelerating implementation of the SADC integration agenda.

Concluding his address, the Executive Secretary expressed confidence in the region's capacity to overcome its challenges through collective leadership, regional solidarity, and strategic action.

"We are adequate, we are capable, we are experienced, and we are talented enough to create a renewed, progressive, and truly integrated and resilient region," Magosi declared.

The SADC Foreign Ministers' Retreat is continuing through the weekend, with ministers expected to formulate a coordinated regional approach to geopolitical risks, economic resilience, migration management, industrialisation, infrastructure development, energy security, and food systems transformation.