She welcomed the gathering of parliamentarians, civic organisations, feminist movements, cross-border traders, and policy experts to what she described as “a pivotal convening.”
“This is not just a meeting to analyse a crisis. It is about catalysing a new vision for trade justice, one that is feminist, Pan-African, ecologically just, and people-centred,” Ms Kanengoni said.
The Dialogue, convened under the theme “Mitigating the Impact of US Reciprocal Tariffs on SADC Economies and Women and Girls,” follows the United States’ recent imposition of sweeping reciprocal tariffs, which analysts warn could severely undermine SADC’s economic stability and deepen existing inequalities.
Ms Kanengoni criticised the tariffs as part of a broader “discernible shift towards economic nationalism that deepens structural inequalities between the North and the global majority.”
“These measures disproportionately affect Southern Africa and within Southern Africa, they hit women and those making a living in the informalised sectors of our economies the hardest. These communities are already on the economic margins,” she said.
She challenged the assumption that only technical experts can design trade frameworks.
“The future of trade in our region must not be left to technical experts alone, but it must be co-created by those most impacted, who in fact know best what is best for them,” she stated.
Ms Kanengoni praised the event’s format as a “Dialogue.”
“The ability to sit around the circle and have a dialogue is also not something we take for granted in our sector. Dialogue is often skipped when solutions are being curated, especially in policy spaces.”
She called on stakeholders to use the moment to “re-centre the trade justice discourse in the broader and intersecting justice work” being conducted across the region, and to forge new paths of solidarity.
“We are here to ask hard questions of the models we’ve inherited; to forge a Trade Justice Framework that speaks from the ground up, across borders, and across thematic silos,” she said.
She urged participants to leverage instruments such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), interrogate the approaching expiry of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and actively build solidarity to influence regional and global power dynamics.
“Let us use this space to co-create bold strategies,” she stated.
“At the Trust, we remain committed to walking with communities, movements, and institutions as we support the advancement and the work towards economic justice. Trade must serve people, not the other way around.”
The day-long Dialogue sought to set the stage for a transformative approach to trade justice, rooted in inclusivity, dignity, and economic resilience.
Ends/.
-Moses Magadza is the Media and Communications Manager at SADC PF.
