President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), will participate in the 8th African Union (AU) Mid-Year Coordination Meeting (MYCM) in El-Alamein, Arab Republic of Egypt, on Sunday, 4 October 2026.
The meeting brings together Heads of State and Government of the AU Bureau, Chairpersons of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs), heads of AU Organs and development partners, including the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The annual meeting provides an opportunity for the Chairpersons of the RECs to exchange views on the status of continental integration and progress towards the realisation of the “Africa We Want”, as outlined in Agenda 2063.
Leaders will also assess progress in implementing the Division of Labour between the AU, RECs/RMs and Member States, with a focus on strengthening coordination, synergies and subsidiarity in the implementation of Agenda 2063.
The meeting will further consider the role of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) in accelerating continental and regional integration.
Among the key issues on the agenda will be progress in implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), infrastructure related to water and sanitation, and efforts to prevent and address conflicts on the continent, including through strengthened early warning mechanisms.
“The Heads of State and Government are expected to consider efforts that the AU is undertaking in addressing and preventing conflicts on the continent, including through enhancing its early warning mechanism.
“The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting provides an opportunity for President Ramaphosa to interact with his counterparts bilaterally on African issues of mutual concern,” the Presidency said in a statement.
On the margins of the meeting, Egypt will host a Business Forum from 2 to 4 October 2026, while a Summit of the Founders of AUDA-NEPAD will be convened on 3 October 2026.
President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola; Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni; and Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau. – SAnews.gov.za
