Southern African Development Community (SADC) in conjunction with the European Union (EU) convened the Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access (ATCMA) Project Stakeholder Engagement Workshop in Gaborone, Botswana, from 12 to 13 November 2025.
The 25ドル million EU-funded regional initiative is designed to enhance trade competitiveness, strengthen regional Quality Infrastructure, and boost intra-African and Africa–EU trade. The implementing partners are the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and International Trade Centre (ITC).
Speaking at the workshop, Catalin Gherman, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Botswana highlighted that the European Union, particularly through its Global Gateway Strategy, is building partnerships with countries and regions around the world to promote sustainable and transformative investments in key sectors, including digital, renewable energy, critical raw materials, and transport.
He said that the Global Gateway Africa – Europe Investment Package aims to support Africa for a strong, inclusive, green and digital recovery and transformation by accelerating the green transition, the digital transition, sustainable growth and decent job creation, strengthening health systems and improving education and training.
Mr. Dhunraj Kassee, Director for Industrial Development and Trade at the SADC Secretariat stated that the Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access Programme aims to accelerate the development of export-oriented, sustainable and inclusive value chains in Africa, corresponding to SADC’s own development programmes under the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 and the Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap 2015-2063 which aim to deepen regional integration and foster development in Southern Africa, aligning with the SADC Vision 2050.
He noted that the ATCMA Programme would drive economic and technological transformation in the region through industrialization, leading to increased manufacturing, higher value-added exports, and enhanced regional integration and diversify the economy beyond resource extraction, boost intra-regional trade, and raise living standards by moving SADC economies from a factor-driven to a knowledge-driven development phase.
Once it is successfully implemented, the programme will contribute to increase sustainable intra-African and EU-Africa trade, particularly by promoting enhanced market access for businesses and strengthening the export competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises in selected value chains. This will help to further strengthen the mutually beneficial European Union trade relationships with the SADC region.
The ATCMA Project Stakeholder Engagement Workshop was attended by SADC Secretariat team, EU Delegation to Botswana, SADC Business Council, UNIDO Technical team, ITC Technical team and ATCMA SADC focal points from both the public and private sectors in the Member States.