Ramaphosa Leads SADC at AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Egypt, With AfCFTA and Peace on the Agenda
On Sunday, October 4, 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa participated in the plenary of the 8th African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in El-Alamein, Egypt. SAnews and South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) reported that Ramaphosa attended as Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), having arrived on October 3 accompanied by International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola and Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau.
The meeting brought together the AU Bureau, chairpersons of regional economic communities and regional mechanisms, heads of AU organs and development partners including the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank. The agenda covered the division of labour between the AU, regional communities and member states; the role of AUDA-NEPAD in accelerating integration; progress on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); water and sanitation infrastructure; and preventing and addressing conflicts, including through strengthened early-warning mechanisms.
AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the meeting remains a critical platform for harmonising efforts toward Africa's integration agenda, stressing that in a complex and rapidly changing geopolitical environment Africa must deepen collective reflection and strengthen its capacity to respond on peace, security, stability and socio-economic development, while institutional obstacles continue to constrain integration.
South Africa's SADC chairmanship places it at the centre of continental coordination. For Chinese businesses operating in Africa, the pace of AfCFTA implementation, cross-border infrastructure and regional security directly affect investment and logistics decisions, making South Africa's positions and coordinating role worth sustained attention.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 非洲联盟峰会会场内景，亚的斯亚贝巴。摄影：美国国务院，公共领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons
