Ramaphosa calls for investment in youth to drive SADC Vision 2050

Ramaphosa warned that SADC’s economic ambitions cannot be separated from peace and political stability because conflict disrupts investment, basic services, trade routes and infrastructure development.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for sustained investment in young people, women, healthcare and social development, saying Southern Africa's ambitions for 2050 will depend on whether countries can turn their young and growing population into an economically active generation.

Delivering a public lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Westville Campus on Friday, Ramaphosa said more than half of the Southern African Development Community's population is under 30, giving the region an enormous human resource that could shape its economic future if governments create opportunities that match young people's education and skills.

Youth unemployment remains a major concern, with many young people completing school, borrowing money to study and graduating from universities and colleges only to find few opportunities in the labour market. Ramaphosa said this gap between education and employment threatens social stability and could undermine progress towards SADC Vision 2050.

Investment must start during childhood

Ramaphosa argued that preparing a productive workforce cannot begin when people reach university or start looking for jobs, as nutrition, healthcare, safety and basic services during childhood can shape their prospects for decades.

He singled out childhood stunting as a serious problem with lifelong consequences and called for stronger investment in maternal healthcare, early nutrition, food security, water, shelter and child development under Vision 2050's Human and Social Capital Development pillar.

Schools, universities, technical and vocational colleges and research institutions also need to equip young people for changing economies, while digital literacy should become more accessible across the region. Ramaphosa said child marriage, teenage pregnancy and the rural digital divide were among the barriers limiting young people's ability to reach their potential.

Health and women central to regional development

A stronger regional economy also requires a healthier population, with Ramaphosa calling for greater coordination between SADC countries so that access to quality healthcare is not determined by national borders.

He urged Member States to strengthen health financing, including commitments under the Abuja Declaration to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to healthcare. Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and reductions in official development assistance have made stronger regional health security and greater self-reliance increasingly important.

Women's participation was another major part of his message, with Ramaphosa arguing that regional integration cannot succeed while women struggle to access finance, productive assets, markets and procurement opportunities.

He also linked economic equality to safety, calling for stronger laws and prosecutions to tackle gender-based violence and femicide, better support for survivors and programmes that address the behaviour of men and boys rather than placing responsibility for preventing violence on women.

Peace, migration and climate pressures demand cooperation

Ramaphosa warned that SADC's economic ambitions cannot be separated from peace and political stability because conflict disrupts investment, basic services, trade routes and infrastructure development.

He described instability in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as a major test for regional cooperation, while also noting developments around Mozambique's Inclusive National Dialogue and SADC-supported processes in Madagascar.

Migration needs to be addressed through the same spirit of regional solidarity, he said, expressing concern about discrimination and ill-treatment directed at foreign nationals in South Africa. Countries should tackle the conflict, poverty, governance failures and lack of economic opportunities that can force people to migrate out of desperation.

Climate change adds another layer of pressure as droughts, cyclones and floods increasingly threaten agriculture, exports, household incomes and food security. Ramaphosa called for a stronger SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre, better disaster preparedness and a coordinated regional position in international discussions on climate-related loss and damage.

Young people urged to take ownership of Vision 2050

Ramaphosa ended his address by telling students that the Southern Africa envisioned for 2050 would ultimately be theirs to lead, making young people not only beneficiaries of regional policies but also future decision-makers responsible for their implementation.

Drawing on Pixley ka Isaka Seme's 1906 speech, The Regeneration of Africa, he connected the historic vision of African renewal with practical goals such as regional manufacturing, integrated infrastructure, entrepreneurship, scientific development and better opportunities for every child.

"Vision 2050 is not our document. It is yours, and you are entitled to demand an account of what we did with it," Ramaphosa told young people.

His message placed accountability alongside optimism, arguing that Southern Africa already has the human potential needed to achieve its ambitions, but success will depend on turning regional commitments into measurable improvements in education, employment, healthcare, equality, peace and economic opportunity.