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.

While investment in African commodities continues, Jonas cautioned against a new resource scramble that is “proving destructive to the environment” and fueling conflict. 

He said that Africa now offers “the best prospects for investment and development returns” as other global regions face slowing growth.

He also pointed to regional integration as the continent’s most important response, highlighting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a key achievement. But he noted that “the current crisis must spur stronger action in that regard.”

South Africa, he said, should focus on export diversification and broaden its trade relationships to Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, while deepening ties with North America and Europe.

Addressing China’s complex relationship with Africa, Jonas acknowledged its role as a major investor but also warned of mounting debt burdens and long-term economic risks.

“China is increasingly a large creditor to African countries, and that comes with the potential for tensions and misunderstanding that bedevil debt relationships,” he said.

While Chinese imports have benefited African consumers, they have also undermined local industries.

“In many ways, we can say that China’s relations with the continent still resemble pretty much the colonial relations of the past, and that’s something that I think we have to take up in a very strong way.”

Jonas positioned South Africa as a key global player, being the largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa for the US, China, the EU, and the UK; a member of BRICS; and holding the presidency of the G20 during a pivotal year.

He urged the country to use its standing to build consensus around a unified national interest.

“Ideally, we should position ourselves as a middle power at the intersection of the supply chains of the West and East, a stable platform for investment in Africa for all those with capital and good intentions,” he said.

He advocated for a practical and forward-looking foreign policy not anchored in ideology or nostalgia, but in South Africa’s democratic values and economic potential.

“Our credentials as a democracy, as an open market, as a reliable partner for trade and investment and economic opportunity, and as a good citizen of the world should be unquestionable.”

Jonas also proposed a G7-style framework linking Africa’s largest economies to strengthen intra-continental trade and policy alignment. On relations with Washington, he emphasised that South Africa’s partnership with the United States is not transactional.

“The USA remains a central player in global development. South Africa’s relationship with the US is crucial. And it is not transactional. But based on a long partnership rooted in shared values of democracy, justice, and progress.”

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za

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