Trade · Value chains
From ore and crop to finished goods 29 value chains that matter to southern Africa, each followed stage by stage: who sells it raw, who processes it, who buys the finished goods, and how much of that comes from outside the region. Pick a chain to see its stages.
SADC overview Value chains Opportunities Agreements Country Choose a country Angola Botswana Comoros DRC Eswatini Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe
Energy Crude oil and fuels Crude oil → Refined fuels and oils → Plastics in primary forms US$39.0bn exported in 2024, led by Angola (US$33.9bn), South Africa (US$2.8bn), Tanzania (US$625m) Coal Coal → Coke → Electricity US$13.0bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$8.2bn), Mozambique (US$3.9bn), Zambia (US$270m) Natural gas Natural gas and LNG → Nitrogen fertilisers → Methanol and ammonia US$5.9bn exported in 2024, led by Mozambique (US$3.4bn), Angola (US$2.1bn), South Africa (US$306m)
Precious stones and metals Gold Unwrought gold and powder → Semi-manufactured gold → Gold and precious-metal jewellery US$37.8bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$29.3bn), Tanzania (US$4.7bn), Zimbabwe (US$2.5bn) Diamonds Rough diamonds → Polished diamonds → Jewellery US$13.6bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$4.7bn), Angola (US$3.4bn), Botswana (US$2.7bn)
Minerals and metals Copper Ore and concentrate → Matte → Refined copper → Wire US$37.7bn exported in 2024, led by DRC (US$23.7bn), Zambia (US$10.2bn), South Africa (US$1.5bn) Platinum group metals Precious metal ores and concentrates → Platinum → Catalytic converter parts US$18.4bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$18.2bn), Tanzania (US$206m), Zimbabwe (US$32m) Chrome Chrome ore and concentrate → Ferrochrome → Stainless steel US$11.2bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$10.2bn), Zimbabwe (US$971m), Mozambique (US$38m) Iron and steel Iron ore → Pig iron and direct reduced iron → Semi-finished steel → Steel products US$9.2bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$8.8bn), Tanzania (US$101m), Angola (US$92m) Aluminium Bauxite → Alumina → Unwrought aluminium → Aluminium products US$5.0bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$2.8bn), Mozambique (US$2.1bn), Angola (US$45m) Manganese Ore and concentrate → Ferromanganese and silicomanganese → Manganese metal and oxides US$3.8bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$3.6bn), Zambia (US$145m), Tanzania (US$12m) Cobalt Ore and concentrate → Hydroxide → Cobalt articles → Lithium-ion batteries US$3.8bn exported in 2024, led by DRC (US$3.3bn), South Africa (US$126m), Namibia (US$123m) Titanium and mineral sands Ilmenite → Titanium oxides and pigments → Titanium metal and articles US$2.6bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$1.3bn), Mozambique (US$1.1bn), Madagascar (US$200m) Phosphate and fertilisers Phosphate rock → Phosphoric acid → Phosphate and mixed fertilisers US$851m exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$581m), Zambia (US$86m), Mauritius (US$65m) Lithium Lithium ores and other minerals → Lithium carbonate and hydroxide → Lithium-ion batteries US$674m exported in 2024, led by Zimbabwe (US$463m), South Africa (US$181m), Namibia (US$17m) Graphite Natural graphite → Artificial graphite and carbon products → Lithium-ion batteries US$244m exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$112m), Madagascar (US$59m), Mozambique (US$49m)
Farming and food Tobacco Tobacco leaf → Cigarettes and manufactured tobacco US$3.2bn exported in 2024, led by Zimbabwe (US$1.4bn), Malawi (US$546m), Tanzania (US$512m) Cotton to clothing Raw cotton → Cotton yarn → Cotton fabric → Clothing US$2.6bn exported in 2024, led by Madagascar (US$911m), South Africa (US$462m), Lesotho (US$366m) Citrus Fresh citrus → Citrus juice US$2.6bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$2.5bn), Zimbabwe (US$56m), Eswatini (US$5.7m) Maize Maize → Maize flour and meal → Animal feed US$1.7bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$1.4bn), Tanzania (US$131m), Zambia (US$71m) Sugar Raw cane sugar → Refined sugar → Sweets and chocolate US$1.6bn exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$672m), Eswatini (US$389m), Mauritius (US$260m) Timber Logs → Sawn wood → Veneer → Wooden furniture US$864m exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$347m), DRC (US$125m), Tanzania (US$120m) Cashew nuts Raw cashew nuts in shell → Cashew kernels US$776m exported in 2024, led by Tanzania (US$638m), Mozambique (US$133m), Madagascar (US$3.3m) Wheat Wheat → Wheat flour → Pasta US$668m exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$341m), Zambia (US$73m), Mauritius (US$61m) Soya Soya beans → Soya oil and cake US$614m exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$335m), Mozambique (US$127m), Zambia (US$92m) Hides and leather Raw hides and skins → Leather → Footwear and leather goods US$534m exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$320m), Zimbabwe (US$106m), Madagascar (US$39m) Coffee Green coffee → Roasted coffee → Instant coffee and extracts US$436m exported in 2024, led by Tanzania (US$315m), DRC (US$29m), South Africa (US$28m) Macadamia nuts Macadamias in shell → Macadamia kernels US$354m exported in 2024, led by South Africa (US$302m), Zimbabwe (US$22m), Malawi (US$18m) Tea Tea in bulk → Tea in packets → Tea extracts US$159m exported in 2024, led by Malawi (US$79m), South Africa (US$29m), Tanzania (US$23m)
The table leaves out stages under US$1 million and countries under US$5 million. Back to SADC trade