Seychelles reaffirms commitment to Secretary of the South African Development Community (SADC) regional integration

 

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Mr. Barry Faure, received the Executive Secretary of the South African Development Community (SADC), H.E. Mr. Elias Magosi at Maison Quéau de Quinssy on Thursday, 22 January 2026.

During their meeting, Mr. Magosi explained that it was customary for the Executive Secretary to pay a courtesy call on the President and Foreign Minister of a SADC Member State with each change of administration to outline the programme and strategic priorities of SADC.

Minister Faure expressed his appreciation to Mr. Magosi and the SADC Secretariat for deploying an electoral observation mission during the National Assembly and Presidential elections held from end-September to mid-October 2025.

Discussions further focused on regional economic integration. Mr. Magosi underscored the importance of strengthening intra-SADC trade, noting that increased imports and exports among Member States would yield long-term economic benefits. He also highlighted the need for effective implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), enhanced consultation with the private sector and sustained investment in infrastructure development as key drivers of regional growth.

Minister Faure stressed the importance of greater ownership and burden-sharing among regional states in addressing maritime crimes. He underscored that the accelerated development of the SADC Maritime Corridor Strategy is critical for Seychelles and the region, as it directly supports regional economic integration.

Minister Faure also emphasised on the importance of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI), noting that its effective integration into the frameworks of international development organisations and international financial institutions remains essential. In this context, he called for SADC’s support in advocating for the MVI at the regional level.

Both parties reiterated their appreciation for the strong cooperation between Seychelles and the SADC Secretariat and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening this partnership in support of regional integration and shared prosperity within the SADC region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Republic of Seychelles.