The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ministries of Agriculture and Land, Water and Environment, as well as UN partners, has commenced the World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week campaign under the theme “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future.” The campaign is scheduled to take place from 17 to 24 November.
At the launching event held on 17 November at the National Confederation of Eritrean Workers Hall in Asmara, representatives of partner institutions delivered messages of support.
At the event, discussion papers were presented focusing on Multi-Drug Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae, a cross-sectional study conducted on bacterial pathogens and outcomes, and investigations into antimicrobial resistance patterns in urinary tract infections. The participants, for their part, conducted extensive discussions on the papers presented.
Speaking to Erina, Dr. Mulugeta Russom, Head of Drug Side-Effect Management at the National Medicine and Food Administration and coordinator of the program, said that the objective of the event is to enhance the awareness of health and agricultural professionals as well as the public at large to ensure the proficient use of medicines and antibiotics.
Dr. Goitom Mebrahtu, Director General of Medical Services at the Ministry of Health, said that this year’s theme calls for urgent and collective action on antimicrobial medicines to safeguard the health and well-being of future generations.
Chairperson of the Africa Expert Panel, Mr Trevor Manuel, All members of the Panel present today, Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
The release of the Report of the Africa Expert Panel today marks a key milestone in South Africa’s G20 Presidency, which has sought to advance solutions for the issues that matter most to the African continent.
Later this week, we will host the first G20 Leaders’ Summit to be convened in Africa.
This Summit takes place as the world grapples with complex and urgent challenges. The solutions to many of these challenges can be found on our continent.
The Panel’s Report reminds us that the greatest opportunity for global prosperity in the 21st century lies in Africa.
We have a youthful and growing population, dynamic and innovative societies, and a wealth of natural resources. This includes the critical minerals needed to power new technologies around the world.
To harness this unique opportunity, we support the Panel’s call for a new partnership among African countries, between Africa and the G20, and between Africa and the world.
This partnership must focus on mobilising the financing that Africa needs to make productive investments in its infrastructure and its people.
If we do not address the debt burden facing many African countries, we risk a lost decade for development in Africa and other regions of the world.
That is why South Africa has made debt sustainability a high-level priority of our G20 Presidency.
The Ministerial Declaration on Debt agreed by G20 member countries last month acknowledges the importance of the debt and development challenge and provides a basis for further concrete action to be taken.
The Report of the Africa Expert Panel puts forward clear and specific proposals that build on the commitments outlined in the declaration.
The Panel’s Report highlights the high cost of capital faced by African countries, which are higher than in other regions with similar fundamentals.
This raises the cost of borrowing and limits equity investment in Africa.
To reduce the cost of capital, we need to mobilise significantly more concessional funding from multilateral development banks and African trade and finance institutions.
We need to address biased risk perceptions of Africa by mandating greater transparency and accountability from credit rating agencies.
As an independent group of experts, the Africa Expert Panel has placed on the table detailed recommendations supported by evidence that the G20 should consider.
Together, the actions they propose can create an investment boom in Africa.
South Africa will take these proposals forward not only in the G20 but in other international fora, working closely with the African Union and other partners.
This Report adds significant impetus to our collective effort to ensure that Africa mobilises the resources that it needs to develop and to grow.
Former Deputy President and co-convenor of the G20 Social Summit, Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, has issued a call to action to forge a new path for Africa while harnessing its natural endowments.
Mlambo-Ngcuka was speaking during the opening ceremony of the summit held at the Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng on Tuesday.
“Africa is not poor. It has more than 50% of the world’s arable land so we shouldn’t be having poverty and hunger. Africa is not poor. We should be able to industrialise because we have 30% of the world’s critical minerals. If Africa is not doing well, it is because we are not providing leadership.
“So, in these three days…all of us should look at how we start the new order with each one of us taking the responsibility to lead, governments, civil society, business and institutions. It is only when we lead together with purpose, that we’ll give birth to the Africa we want, the Africa we dream of,” she asserted.
The summit brings together a diverse range of formal and informal networks, including youth movements, women’s organisations, faith-based groups, organisations of persons with disabilities, community forums, and other grassroots structures who will deliberate on global issues that directly impact people’s daily lives.
“In planning the G20 Social [Summit], we wanted to make sure that in the deliberations…we come with initiatives that will be sustainable. We wanted to make sure that since this G20 is in Africa…it must [have] initiatives that will impact significantly on Africans.
“We as Africans must make sure that these are things we can do without dependency on many other contributors. Yes, we welcome solidarity but at the end of the day, we should take the responsibility for making changes,” she said.
A summit for all
The co-convenor reflected on South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 and its promise to leave no-one behind.
“When South Africa assumed the Presidency of the G20 during the [Leaders’] Summit held in Brazil in 2024, our President [Cyril Ramaphosa] made a promise that this Social Summit will continue.
“That in South Africa, we will host the Social Summit because we believe in the voices of civil society. We acknowledge that [the] programme would be nothing without the lived experience of those people…the people who, in many of our countries, make it possible for us to live and lead from day to day.”
She emphasised the importance of the outcomes of the summit, as a declaration is expected to be handed over to President Cyril Ramaphosa at the conclusion of the summit on Thursday.
“The outcomes of this summit must support the last five remaining years of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. We must also support the vision that is enshrined in [African Union] Agenda 2063.
“All of these has to be reflected in the choices that we make and the recommendations that we make. I would also want to encourage you to think about what will happen next year. How will we ensure that what we’ve decided here will not be lost along the way?
“We must ensure that we have provided a cushion for the Social Summit so that at some point, it can reemerge in the format that we want to continue to grow,” Mlambo-Ngcuka said.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile addressed the opening of the summit where he urged global leaders to recognise the significant impact of their decisions on humanity’s future.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amanda Gouws, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the South African Research Initiative in Gender Politics, Stellenbosch University
For democracies to function well, citizens have to trust their institutions. Every incidence of bad service delivery or corruption will influence how much citizens trust institutions.
The latest incident that will most likely shake confidence in South Africa’s political system, and specifically the police and the criminal justice system, is the accusation by General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, provincial commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal province, that members of these institutions are involved in organised crime. The accusations are being investigated by the Madlanga Commission and heard in parliament by an ad hoc committee.
General Mkhwanazi alleged that the police minister, other members of the South African Police Force and members of the judiciary interfered with the investigation he was leading into political assassinations. He alleged they attempted to close down the “political killings task team” because of their own links to organised crime.
Signs of corruption have, over time, eroded political trust among citizens in South Africa.
In this article we discuss the findings of the most recent survey by Afrobarometer, a pan-African research network, and two attitude surveys done by Citizen Surveys for the South African Research Chairs Initiative chair in Gender Politics. The data of the SARChI Chair will be made public once the research project is concluded.
Prof Gouws specialises in the construction of surveys and analysis of survey data and Dr Kupolusi is a statistician who is her post-doctoral fellow and did the statistical analysis for this article.
The reports show a decline of trust over a four-year period. The 2022 Afrobarometer data supports the findings of our two attitude surveys.
Citizens have to trust a political system if they are to accept its legitimacy and support it. When they see the system as legitimate, citizens are more willing to obey the laws of the country. They then support the rule of law.
Political trust and legitimacy
We understand “political trust” as it was conceptualised by David Easton, an American political scientist, in 1975. It is the perceived likelihood that the political system will deliver public goods without having to be closely scrutinised by citizens. Political trust is closely linked to the concepts of political support and legitimacy.
These three concepts relate to each other in the following way. Support for the political authorities or a regime will typically express itself in two forms: trust or confidence in them, and belief in their legitimacy.
Trust is present when citizens feel that their own interests would be attended to even if the authorities were exposed to little supervision or scrutiny. Legitimacy is present when people believe it is right and proper to accept and obey the authorities, and abide by the requirements of the political system.
Trust and legitimacy are therefore distinct concepts. Trust is measured through political support for the regime and its authorities. Easton distinguishes between two types of support.
Diffuse support is a reservoir of positive attitudes and goodwill towards the regime as a whole, its underlying principles, and the larger political community. Diffuse support is more durable than specific support, which is trust in the incumbents of the political system.
Research has shown that levels of trust in institutions like parliament, parties and courts far outweigh judgements on national and personal economic well-being. Economic performance is more important in high income countries, but trust in institutions, coupled with free and fair elections, is more important in newer democracies.
Declining levels of trust
In this article, through the use of different surveys conducted at different points in time (2018 and two different surveys in 2022), we show how institutional trust has declined over time in South Africa, to the detriment of the political system.
We also show that there’s a gender gap – that men and women differ in their attitudes towards the rule of law.
The most recent Afrobarometer survey (Round 9, 2022) had a national sample of 1,582 respondents. It found “no trust” at 66% for the police, 73% for parliament, 75% for the ruling party and 72% for opposition parties. It is only for the courts where “no trust” is below 50%.
Afrobarometer’s findings corroborate those of our own surveys, done in 2018 and 2022 by Citizen Surveys, a survey company in Cape Town. The survey was conducted with a national stratified sample of 1,300 respondents in all nine provinces and translated into seven languages. The interviews were done face to face by the fieldworkers of Citizen Surveys.
What our surveys show are declining levels of trust over time in the most important institutions of the police, parliament and political parties, with “no trust” in all of them over 50%.
Frequency table of trust and Afrobarometer.Author
When it comes to the rule of law our 2022 data showed that 45.8% of respondents said it was “not necessary to obey the laws of a corrupt government”, 69% indicated that it was fine to “get around the law as long as you don’t break it”, 62% agreed that it was fine if “the law is suspended in times of emergency” and 50.4% thought it was “better to ignore the law and solve problems immediately than wait for a legal solution” (vigilante justice).
What surprised us was the difference between the attitudes of men and women for the rule of law in our 2022 data. For “it is not necessary to obey the laws of a corrupt government” 44% of men agreed vs 47% of women. For “it is all right to get around the law as long as you don’t actually break it” 65.6% of men agreed vs 71.4% of women. For “suspending the law in times of emergency” 61.2% of men agreed vs 63.5% of women. And for “sometimes it is better to ignore the law and solve problems immediately” 46.2% of men vs 53.4% of women agreed.
What this shows is that women are more militant in their attitudes towards (breaking) the rule of law – findings that were quite unexpected. It seems that women, who are often at the receiving end of crime, have had enough.
What needs to happen
Declining trust and support for the rule of law undermines the legitimacy of government. The courts have been a beacon of legitimacy but even for courts the level of “no trust” is close to 50%.
A serious problem is that citizens do not distinguish between institutions (diffuse support) and incumbents (specific support). This means that corrupt officials undermine trust in institutions (such as the police, parliament and political parties).
A decline in specific support affects diffuse support – that reservoir of goodwill toward institutions. When corruption is not dealt with, erosion of trust in institutions is a consequence of the behaviour of incumbents.
Political trust and support for the rule of law are important in democracies to sustain stability, and so that citizens will not start to look for alternative ways such as protest or political violence to make their demands known to those who govern them.
– South Africans have lost trust in the police, in parliament and in political parties – what that means – https://theconversation.com/south-africans-have-lost-trust-in-the-police-in-parliament-and-in-political-parties-what-that-means-268804
The role of UK technical and service collaboration in Africa’s energy future was underscored at the Wider African Energy Summit (WAES) in Aberdeen on Tuesday, where operators and industry leaders emphasized the strategic value of North Sea engineering, offshore delivery experience and workforce training for Africa’s next phase of growth. As African states work to accelerate gas monetization, streamline project execution and improve emissions performance, the UK’s mature ecosystem offers practical tools and capabilities to meet those needs.
Nigerian independent Seplat Energy provided a frontline view of how targeted investment and technical capability can reshape a national energy system. The company’s revitalization of OML 40 – transforming a shut-in onshore field in the Niger Delta into a producing asset – demonstrates how focused operational investment can restore output while creating new openings for global service providers, including UK firms.
“Our ambition is to be the cornerstone producer of gas in Nigeria. The real growth lies in transforming the country’s energy supply chain,” said Jason White, General Manager for Exploration. He highlighted opportunities across power generation and LNG exports and noted that ongoing IOC divestments are creating space for domestic players that can deploy capital and technical expertise with greater agility than the majors.
African Energy Chamber (AEC) Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk offered a continental perspective on maintaining pace and competitiveness, noting that North Sea expertise has already shaped many African projects and remains vital as the continent works to scale production efficiently. “What you have developed here [in Aberdeen] can transform our continent,” said Ayuk. He stressed that Africa intends to develop all viable hydrocarbon resources, supported by skills, technology and services that enable efficient, lower-carbon operations. He also cautioned against policy approaches in mature markets – such as limits on exploration or slowed licensing – that could indirectly undermine African oil and gas investment. “We’re not against the transition – it just has to be just, orderly and fair,” he said.
Speakers also pointed to delivery models that can accelerate timelines while supporting lower-carbon operations – an area where UK expertise is particularly influential. For FPSO specialist Altera Infrastructure, long-term lease-and-operate structures are enabling earlier first oil while contributing to skills development. “All of this can become a training ground for local engineers,” said Stig Bøtker, Director of Business Development. Altera’s work with Eni on Ivory Coast’s Baleine field – delivering the first FPSO in 18 months after FID – was cited as evidence of what standardized systems and experienced service partners can achieve. Bøtker added that modern FPSOs are increasingly equipped to support lower-emission operations through improved gas management and reduced flaring.
Such models align closely with the UK’s strengths in offshore engineering, project management and safety standards, presenting clear opportunities for expanded service collaboration. “This is a symbiotic relationship – the needs of an emerging market met by a mature industry ready to look further afield,” said AFBE-UK Co-Founder Ollie Folayan. He urged the UK to leverage its global reputation for engineering education and professional development and to “expand its influence beyond the North Sea while simultaneously helping to solve the problems of the energy trilemma.”
Organized in official partnership with the AEC, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Energy Industries Council, the Scottish African Business Association, the UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce and the Global Underwater Hub, WAES showcases Africa’s most compelling oil and gas opportunities to the UK and European supply chain while providing a platform for new partnerships and investment.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
This morning, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi visited the Police Academy, where he was received upon arrival by Minister of Interior Major General Mahmoud Tawfik, along with a number of commanders from the Police Academy and the Ministry of Interior.
Spokesman for the Presidency Ambassador Mohamed El-Shenawy said that during the visit, the President attended the physical and aptitude assessments for male and female applicants seeking admission to the Police Academy. These assessments are conducted according to the objective criteria emphasized by the President to select the most qualified and outstanding candidates to join the police force, which contributes to enhancing efforts to improve the performance of the Egyptian police and its pivotal role in consolidating the foundations of security and stability in the country.
The President held an interactive dialogue with the new applicants to the Police Academy, discussing developments at the domestic, regional, and international levels. President El-Sisi stressed that internal developments have demonstrated the cohesion of the Egyptian people and their commitment to advancing the nation toward a stage of development and achievement.
President El-Sisi affirmed that regional developments require the unity of all Egyptians to continue advancing the nation, protect it from any threats, and preserve its gains, ensuring that the benefits of development are realized through the provision of security and stability.
The President also commended the dedication he observed among the new applicants who aspire to earn the honor of joining the police force to serve the nation. President El-Sisi expressed his deep appreciation for the essential role of the police in protecting the country and valued the great sacrifices made by police personnel and their families over the past years in confronting terrorism; sacrifices that reflect the genuine character of the Egyptian citizen in facing challenges.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Liberia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Sara Beysolow Nyanti, on Thursday, November 13, 2025, convened a high-level meeting with members of the diplomatic corps accredited near Monrovia to brief them on Liberia’s ongoing preparations and aspirations for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the period 2026–2027.
Welcoming Ambassadors, Heads of Mission, and Chargés d’Affaires, Minister Nyanti expressed profound appreciation for the support and cooperation that the diplomatic community continues to extend to Liberia’s development and peacebuilding efforts. She underscored that Liberia’s election to the Security Council reflects both its historical legacy as a founding member of the United Nations and its enduring commitment to global peace, multilateralism, and international cooperation. She affirmed that Liberia is fully prepared to assume its first full mandate at the UNSC.
Minister Nyanti shared Liberia’s thematic focus on the nexus between climate, natural resources and conflict, women peace and security, UNSC reforms as well as dealing with regional blocs such as the MRU, AES and youth peace and security.
“Liberia’s vision for its tenure on the UN Security Council is to amplify Africa’s voice, strengthen ECOWAS representation, and promote collaborative solutions to the challenges confronting our continent,” Minister Nyanti stated. “We recognize that conflicts across Africa are complex and interconnected, and Liberia intends to contribute to sustainable peace by addressing their root causes through dialogue, diplomacy, and inclusive governance.”
The Minister also highlighted the need for capacity building and institutional strengthening to enhance Liberia’s readiness for effective participation at the Security Council. She called on friendly nations and development partners to continue supporting Liberia in building the technical and diplomatic expertise necessary for the country to serve meaningfully during its tenure.
Minister Nyanti further noted that Liberia’s approach to global engagement is anchored in shared humanistic values, emphasizing respect for human rights, conflict prevention, and humanitarian cooperation. She reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to working with all partners to promote international peace and security, guided by principles of justice, equity, and respect for state sovereignty.
“Our aspiration is not just to sit at the table but to bring meaningful perspectives rooted in Liberia’s own history of peacebuilding, resilience, and reconciliation to discussions that shape global stability,” she added.
In response, the Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps, H.E. Amb. Beng’yela A. Gang, Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon to LIberia, speaking on behalf of the assembled ambassadors, commended Liberia for its proactive diplomacy and reaffirmed the collective willingness of the diplomatic community to support Liberia’s efforts. He described Liberia’s prospective presence on the Security Council as timely and commendable, noting that the country’s post-conflict recovery and consistent advocacy for peace make it a credible voice on matters of security, democracy, and development.
“We thank the Government and people of Liberia for their continued engagement and leadership in regional and global affairs,” Amb. Gang said. “The diplomatic community stands ready to explore ways to assist Liberia at the Security Council and in strengthening its institutional capacity.”
The meeting concluded with renewed assurances of partnership and collaboration, as Liberia continues to consolidate its diplomatic engagements ahead of the 2026 UN Security Council non-permanent seat.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has urged global leaders to recognise the significant impact of their decisions on humanity’s future.
Speaking to an audience of local and international delegates at the G20 Social Summit, the Deputy President stressed the summit’s critical mission to “develop solutions while serving as a platform for fostering collaboration between state and non-state actors to advance sustainable global partnership for development.”
The G20 Social Summit began on Tuesday at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, under the theme of “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability.”
WATCH | Deputy President addresses the G20 Social Summit
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The three-day G20 Social Summit is designed as an inclusive platform to amplify the voices of civil society, grassroots organisations and communities.
The country’s second-in-command used his platform to highlight the urgent need for collective action. “As we engage in discussions in the coming days, we must remember the billions of lives at stake, the aspirations of unborn children and our profound responsibility to leave behind a world that surpasses the one we inherited.”
Grounded in the African philosophy of Ubuntu, the gathering seeks to reshape global discourse by positioning developing nations, particularly in Africa, as active agents of innovation and change, not mere recipients of aid.
Priorities
Key priorities included addressing global challenges such as climate change, social and economic inequalities, and creating pathways for inclusive economic growth. The summit introduced three cross-cutting task forces focusing on economic growth, food security, and artificial intelligence for sustainable development.
“We must continuously find ways to build bridges and common ground. “Working together is key to building a better future with solutions that fit our unique challenges,” the Deputy President stressed.
The summit represents a critical platform for civil society to directly influence international decision-making, with recommendations set to be presented to G20 leaders in the coming days.
As the summit progresses, he said achieving global progress requires unprecedented levels of cooperation, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to creating a more equitable world for everyone.
GBV and gender equality
While the G20 Social Summit in South Africa focuses on global partnership, Deputy President Mashatile believes that other issues have significantly broader implications across multiple critical societal challenges.
He also took the time to touch on the gender-based violence (GBV), which he described as “one of Africa’s most pressing and severe social issues.”
The Deputy President urged the international community to address obstacles to gender equality with “renewed agency, solidarity and innovation.” The country’s second-in-command highlighted the urgent need for coordinated action to protect women’s dignity and economic engagement.
Youth and African development
He also placed the spotlight on youth leadership, noting that through the Youth 20 (Y20) communique, the African youth have effectively delivered directly youth-driven recommendations to G20 leaders. The Deputy President said the leaders see the youth as “vital contributors to the creation of a sustainable and inclusive global future.”
On African development, he stated that South Africa positioned the summit as an opportunity to reshape global narratives about Africa and the use of the continent’s vast mineral resources and arable land to benefit Africans.
Diversity
Former Deputy President Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, in her capacity as Co-Convener of this year’s 2025 G20 Social Summit, thanked everyone in the room for the work they have done preparing for the gathering.
She recognised the importance of the diverse voices and said the programme will be nothing without the lived experience of people.
“Africa is not poor, it has more than 50% of the world’s arable land, so we shouldn’t be having poverty and hunger.”
Mlambo-Ngcuka rallied the summit participants to focus on sustainable impact.
“The outcomes of this summit must support the last five remaining years of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. We must also support the vision that is outlined in Agenda 2063.”
She is of the view that Africa’s path forward must be built on collective purpose and responsibility.
“We should really look at how we make sure that we start the new order with each one of us taking the responsibility to lead governments, civil society, business institutions, because it is only when we live together with purpose that we will give birth to Africa we once envisioned,” she added. – SAnews.gov.za
President Cyril Ramaphosa has received the G20 Africa Expert Panel Report aimed at dealing with the continent’s most pressing economic challenges, including country debt and investment.
Earlier this year, National Treasury noted that the continent is faced with an “unprecedented debt crisis” with countries expected to pay nearly $89 billion in external debt service this year, added to some 20 countries facing debt distress.
This led to the formation of a 26-member strong, expert panel with South African former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel as chairperson.
In written remarks for the handover of the report, President Cyril Ramaphosa warned that the question of debt puts the development of the continent at risk.
“If we do not address the debt burden facing many African countries, we risk a lost decade for development in Africa and other regions of the world. That is why South Africa has made debt sustainability a high-level priority of our G20 Presidency.
“The Ministerial Declaration on Debt, agreed by G20 member countries last month, acknowledges the importance of the debt and development challenge and provides a basis for further concrete action to be taken. The report of the Africa Expert Panel puts forward clear and specific proposals that build on the commitments outlined in the declaration,” the President said on Tuesday.
He noted that the report highlights the high cost of capital that African countries face, raising the borrowing costs and limiting equity investment on the continent.
“To reduce the cost of capital, we need to mobilise significantly more concessional funding from multilateral development banks and African trade and finance institutions.
“We need to address biased risk perceptions of Africa by mandating greater transparency and accountability from credit rating agencies,” he asserted.
The report contains recommendations on debt, including:
• Launching a new G20 debt refinancing initiative for low-income and vulnerable countries with contributions from the official sector. • Establishing a Borrowers’ Club to strengthen the collective voice of borrowers and coordinate peer learning, technical assistance, and research. Convene African Finance Ministers to take this agenda forward and host the launch of the borrowers’ platform. • Building a multilateral sovereign debt resolution mechanism that is transparent, timely, and effective. • Assisting developing countries to strengthen debt transparency, build systems for the automatic exchange of information between debtors and creditors, and ensure that creditors participate in the reconciliation of debt data. • Improving debt sustainability analysis to better distinguish between liquidity and solvency issues, account for heterogeneous external and domestic debt, and reflect sovereign net worth. On accelerating investments in Africa, the recommendations include: • Defining and developing national growth programs and national and regional investment frameworks to drive economic transformation and identify critical investments, supported by robust data and governance. • Accelerating implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) as a core platform for African integration and investment. • Improving the regulation of Credit Rating Agencies by ensuring full disclosure of rating assessment data and reforming their methodologies that recognise economic diversity and avoid procyclical rating actions.
“Together, the actions they propose can create an investment boom in Africa. South Africa will take these proposals forward, not only in the G20, but in other international fora, working closely with the African Union and other partners.
“This report adds significant impetus to our collective effort to ensure that Africa mobilises the resources that it needs to develop and to grow,” President Ramaphosa concluded. – SAnews.gov.za
The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa will host the 58th Plenary Assembly of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, from 30 November to 5 December 2025.
Convened under the theme “The Impact of Climate Change on Women and Youth in the SADC Region and the Role of Parliaments in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation”, the plenary will bring together presiding officers, Speakers and Members of Parliament (MPs) from 15 SADC member states.
This year’s plenary focuses on the growing threat of climate to Southern Africa’s development. Delegates will examine how extreme weather patterns are reshaping agriculture, water resources, energy systems and human livelihoods, and explore the legislative and oversight measures needed to strengthen national and regional climate response strategies.
The programme features:
A high-level opening ceremony with regional and international keynote speakers;
Presentations on progress, challenges and emerging priorities in climate mitigation and adaptation;
Side events and youth-focused engagements on climate innovation, activism and resilience; and
The adoption of a resolution signaling the forum’s collective commitments to coordinated parliamentary action.
The 58th Plenary Assembly will draw participation from Speakers and MPs from across the SADC region, government ministries, the Pan-African Parliament, the African Union Commission and several development and climate-related partners, including the United Nations Environment Programme, UN Development Programme and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Representatives of the private sector, business associations, civil society organisations, regional universities and youth groups are also expected to participate in the week-long programme.
The Plenary Assembly will be held as follows: Date: 30 November 2025 Venue: Durban International Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa
Date: 1 to 5 December 2025 Venue: Coastlands Hotel in Durban, South Africa
South Africa is a founding member of the SADC PF, launched in 1996 as the parliamentary institution of SADC in line with Article 9(2) of the SADC Treaty. Approved by SADC heads of state and government in 1997 as an autonomous body of the community, the forum brings together the national assemblies of SADC member states to advance regional integration through parliamentary collaboration. The forum continues to work towards its long-term objective of transforming into a fully-fledged regional Parliament.
MEDIA ACCREDITATION
Media wishing to cover the 58th SADC-PF are requested to submit their accreditation details by 17:00 on 21 November 2025. A media centre will be operational at the Coastlands Hotel from 30 November to 5 December 2025.
Accreditation requests may be directed to the following Media Relations Unit officials:
Malentsoe Magwagwa at mmagwagwa@parliament.gov.za on 081 716 5824
Masego Dlula at mdlula@parliament.gov.za on 081 715 9398
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Enquiries: Moloto Mothapo, Parliament Spokesperson
– on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
