Mcebisi Jonas urges South Africa to adapt its foreign policy in response to global economic shifts
South Africa and the African continent must confront current global economic shifts head-on with a clear-eyed, values-driven, and pragmatic foreign policy that repositions Africa at the centre of global trade and diplomacy, said Mcebisi Jonas, special envoy to the United States.
Speaking at a seminar hosted by the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation on Tuesday, Jonas urged a clear-eyed approach to national interest and a united national vision as the world grapples with imminent US tariffs set to take effect on August 1st.
He called for reform of multilateral cooperation and stronger partnerships for development, stating that the global crisis presents 'an opportunity for change.'
He urged South Africa and the continent to take advantage of its demographic edge as the world's youth population increasingly shifts toward Africa.
'By the middle of the century, Africans will number 2.5 billion out of the world's population of 10 billion,' he said.
'Of course, the question would be, what do we do with that demographic dividend?'
''The wave of the future must certainly be African," he said, but warned that the narrative of Africa rising has been "severely dented.'
Jonas pointed to a combination of debt distress, declining commodity prices, and slowing global growth as key contributors to the continent's economic fragility.
Amid these challenges, he warned that increased protectionism, such as uncertainty around AGOA and the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, could severely restrict Africa's access to global markets.
'Increased protectionism threatens an abrupt end to market access, including the possible future of AGOA and the spectre of European Union's CBOM tariffs,' he said.
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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading When Covid hit, the economy froze and inflation plummeted, reaching a low of 2.1% in May 2020. By then, the SARB had already started slashing the repo rate – it plunged from 6.25% in February 2020 to 3.5% at the end of July, remaining at that record low for over a year. 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