SADC Calls for Stronger Public–Private Partnerships to Drive Mining Investment and Jobs
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has called for stronger public–private partnerships to accelerate mineral investment, job creation and economic growth across the region.
The call was made during the inaugural SADC Ministerial High-Level Public–Private Mining Forum held on 10 February 2026 on the margins of the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town.
The forum brought together SADC Ministers responsible for mining and minerals, private sector representatives under the Mining Industry Association of Southern Africa (MIASA), chambers of mines from SADC Member States and other industry leaders. It was facilitated by Mr Tapiwa Samanga, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Production Technologies Association of South Africa (PtSA).
Speaking on behalf of South Africa’s Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources and Chairperson of the Committee of SADC Ministers responsible for Mining, Honourable Gwede Mantashe, Deputy Minister Honourable Phumzile Mgcina stressed the importance of enhanced cooperation between governments, the private sector and communities.
She highlighted the need for policy harmonisation, optimised resource use and a collective African voice on global mining issues.
The Deputy Minister noted that regional competitiveness would be strengthened when Member States move away from fragmented competition towards complementarity, supported by coordinated cross-border implementation through SADC institutions.
SADC Executive Secretary His Excellency Mr Elias Mpedi Magosi said the region’s minerals strategy is anchored in a coordinated regional approach aimed at maximising the developmental impact of finite mineral resources. He emphasised that mineral exploitation should support sustainable economic growth, industrialisation and inter-generational equity.
Mr Magosi highlighted key regional policy instruments guiding the sector, including the SADC Mining Protocol, the Regional Mining Vision and the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (2015–2063). He also outlined SADC’s value proposition to investors, describing the region as a coordinated, competitive and investment-ready mining destination.
He reaffirmed SADC’s commitment to promoting a sustainable and well-governed mining industry that supports regional industrialisation and value addition, ensuring benefits for both present and future generations.
Representing the private sector, MIASA President Mr Jean-Luc Marquetoux and Executive Secretary Mr Vusi Mabena welcomed SADC’s efforts to strengthen public–private engagement. They emphasised the importance of regular dialogue to accelerate growth, transformation and implementation of the SADC Regional Mining Vision.
The forum agreed on key strategies to promote responsible mining across the region. These include leveraging SADC regional instruments to ensure coherent implementation, formalising artisanal mining to improve safety and environmental outcomes, strengthening community benefit mechanisms, and enhancing regional skills development and technology capacity to support beneficiation and competitiveness.
To strengthen regional mining cooperation, the forum resolved that the SADC Secretariat would convene regular follow-up engagements, including extraordinary meetings when necessary.
Member States and MIASA will also support private sector participation in improving mining governance and regulatory coherence, while prioritising cooperation on responsible mining, skills development, technology advancement and policy harmonisation.
