The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit ended in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on August 17, 2025, with leaders underscoring the need for unity, solidarity, and stronger cooperation as the foundation for the region’s economic transformation and response to emerging global challenges.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan was represented at the summit by Vice President Dr. Philip Mpango. During the meeting, Madagascar formally assumed the rotating chairmanship of SADC from Zimbabwe.
The summit brought together nine Heads of State, including four Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, and Mauritius who addressed the gathering for the first time as leaders of their nations.
In their deliberations, the leaders focused on four main areas: peace and security, infrastructure development, economic growth, and democracy and regional integration.
Outgoing chairperson and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the region remained politically stable except for the continuing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
He emphasized that African problems should be resolved by Africans, noting that outside support must only play a complementary role.
“It will take our unity and solidarity, combined with firm commitment, to end the DRC conflict and strengthen peace across our region,” he said.
On economic growth, the leaders highlighted industrialization, agriculture, intra-regional trade, and value addition to raw materials as priority areas.
They stressed that investment in these sectors would expand opportunities for employment and income, particularly for young people and women.
Botswana’s President Duma Boko said that deepening trade within Africa was a vital pathway for economic resilience and self-reliance.
Infrastructure was described as the “lifeblood” of regional integration. Leaders called for renewed efforts to mobilize funding for major projects in transport, energy, water, and information and communication technology under the SADC Regional Development Plan 2030.
They also urged more member states to ratify the protocol on the establishment of a regional development fund. So far, nine countries, including Tanzania, have signed the protocol.
On democracy, the summit urged member states to strengthen institutions that safeguard governance and uphold the rule of law.
The leaders also reaffirmed support for the SADC Electoral Observation Mission, stressing its role in ensuring elections across the bloc remain transparent, credible, and peaceful.
When addressing integration, leaders called for the removal of barriers that restrict the free movement of people, goods, and services.
They encouraged countries to phase out visa requirements and non-tariff barriers that continue to limit trade and social exchange in the region.
By the close of the Antananarivo summit, the message was clear: SADC’s future depends on unity, solidarity, and collective action to accelerate growth, safeguard peace, and deepen integration among its 16 member states.