SADC convene a Media Day ahead of the Official Opening of the 8th SADC Industrialization Week

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat convened a Media Day in Antananarivo, Republic of Madagascar on 28th July 2025. The Media Day brought together the media personnel in Madagascar and across the region. The objective of the Media Day engagement was to impact knowledge to the journalists on the programmes and activities aiming to promote industrialisation in the region. The Media Day further provided the journalists with an overview and key massages of this year’s SADC Industrialization Week (SIW), for them to cover the week’s proceedings with more depth and clarity.

During the Media Day Honourable David Ralambofiringa, Minister of Industrialization and Trade of the Republic of Madagascar highlighted that the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (2015–2063) aims to transform the regional economies, which have long been focused on the export of raw materials, into competitive industrial economies, capable of creating quality jobs and reducing poverty through high value- added sectors.

 The Honourable Minister Ralambofiringa underscored that the Strategy is based on three pillars of industrialization as a driver of economic transformation, regional integration to expand markets and enhance competitiveness, and building productive capacity and innovation. 

Ms. Angele Makombo N’tumba, SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration underlined that this year’s Industrialisation Week is being held under the theme: “Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation, and Energy Transition for a Resilient SADC.” She affirmed that the theme is aligned with the broader development priorities of the region and speaks to the collective determination to build stronger value chains, improve food systems, enhance energy security, and drive inclusive industrial growth with the aim to building a more resilient and self-sustaining SADC.

The Deputy Executive Secretary further acknowledged that since the adoption of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (2015–2063), the region has made commendable progress. She cited achievements such as the development and signing of the SADC Protocol on Industry which has been signed by 8 Member States and requiring further 3 more members to sign for it to come into force.

Also, during the Media Day, there was a launch of Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access (ATCMA) SADC Progamme which is funded by the European Union (EU) for EUR 25 million and runs from July 2025 to June 2029. The Programme is jointly implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development (UNIDO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

The overall objective of the Programme is to increase sustainable intra-African and EU-Africa trade. The specific objectives are to enhance market access for selected value chains and to enhance export competitiveness for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The expected outputs are to identify and reduce market access barriers, to strengthen quality compliance and standards, to facilitate value-chain revision mechanism and to enhance SMEs capacities and opportunities for business and export.