In December 2024, President Joe Biden made a state visit to Angola, the first by a U.S. president in nine years, highlighting the renewed commitment of the United States to Southern Africa. Since Donald Trump’s return to the highest office, relations between the two regions have undergone a transformation that raises questions and challenges, but also opens up opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. The first dialogue forum between SADC and US senior officials held on August 13, 2025, during the 45th SADC summit is a testament to this.
The ascension of President Donald Trump to the White House has raised concerns among the international community. It was in this context that the SADC-USA forum was held at the Ivato International Conference Center, bringing together high-ranking officials from the member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and representatives from the US State Department led by US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Melany Higgins. The focus of the discussions was the continuation of the implementation of the second cycle of the SADC-USA Regional Development Objective Agreement (RDOAG) 2023-2027, which covers agriculture, health, democratic governance, youth, environment, and energy. This, considering the reduction of American aid to Africa, which amounted to nearly $4 billion in 2024.
This time, we really focused on the issue that SADC was formed for a reason. And SADC was formed from real conviction that Africans can make it because it was formed out of the front lines chests, it’s born out of shared blood and it is now time to build bridges.
Amon Murwira, Outgoing Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers
Another issue raised during this forum was the « travel ban, » an American measure that prohibits the stay of nationals from countries considered non-cooperative in terms of security or diplomacy. In the SADC region, Angola and Zimbabwe have already been affected by these restrictions. On August 5, 2025, the United States launched a pilot program requiring a bond of up to $15,000 from applicants for a tourist or business visa. In Africa, this measure applies to Malawi and Zambia. Several delegations reportedly advocated for more transparent dialogue and a differentiated approach in order to limit the impact of these measures on human, economic, and cultural exchanges.
We took about 82 decisions, ranging from the foundational decisions to the foundational issues of something which is peace and security. And we took decisions on development infrastructure. We took decisions on human capital issues. We made decisions around integration and the issue of visas, for example, that subject countries should do away with visas. And we raised Zimbabwe, Seychelles and Mauritius for having moved visa requirements for subject citizens.
Amon Murwira, Outgoing Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers
Relations between the SADC and the United States could be jeopardized in the future with the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which expires in September, being called into question. Indeed, today, Lesotho and Botswana are taxed 37% on customs duties on textile, mining, and agri-food exports. On April 2, 2025, the United States announced a new trade policy that introduces « reciprocal tariffs » of 11% to 50% on all products imported from the SADC region, effective April 9. In terms of exposure, these tariffs imposed on the SADC represent nearly 4.4% of SADC exports that are directed to the United States.
We’re an integrated region that speaks and does the work, because it is very important that we do what we write and we write what we do.
Amon Murwira, Outgoing Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers
From a broader perspective, experts believe that strengthening African economies through intraregional trade is the key to preserving African economic interests. However, it does not rule out the possibility of states signing bilateral agreements with major foreign powers, although this option raises the vulnerability of many countries.
