The Africa We Want: Unpacking the Primacy of Africa in South Africa’s Foreign Policy

This research paper examines the role of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in advancing South Africa's developmental agenda and its strategic focus on the African continent. It analyzes the alignment between South Africa's normative goal of African primacy and its actual resource allocation, noting that while budgets face restrictions, strategic investment in African missions remains a priority to support economic diplomacy and the National Development Plan.

• Since 2009, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has focused on economic diplomacy and socio-economic priorities, including the creation of sustainable livelihoods, education, health, rural development, food security, land reform, and combating crime and corruption.
• South Africa's foreign policy is guided by the National Development Plan (NDP) launched in 2012 and President Zuma's Nine-Point Action Plan from February 2015, with a specific emphasis on improving intra-Africa trade as outlined in Chapter 7 of the NDP.
• The African continent is central to South Africa's foreign policy, a position reaffirmed in the 2015 and 2016 Budget Vote Speeches. However, DIRCO's 2016 budget was reduced by R153 million, leading to the closure of non-essential missions.
• Analysis of DIRCO budgets over five years indicates that South Africa's resource deployment matches its goal of deepening engagement in Africa. The most expensive missions are located in strategic economies, specifically Nigeria, Angola, and Ethiopia.
• South Africa became the first African country to receive the Distinguished Diplomatic Service Award from the World Affairs Council, announced on 30 March 2016.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2016). The Africa We Want: Unpacking the Primacy of Africa in South Africa’s Foreign Policy. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-africa-we-want-unpacking-the-primacy-of-africa-in-south-africas-foreign-policy/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. The Africa We Want: Unpacking the Primacy of Africa in South Africa’s Foreign Policy. 2016. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-africa-we-want-unpacking-the-primacy-of-africa-in-south-africas-foreign-policy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=The Africa We Want: Unpacking the Primacy of Africa in South Africa’s Foreign Policy |date=4 May 2016 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/the-africa-we-want-unpacking-the-primacy-of-africa-in-south-africas-foreign-policy/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2016africa, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{The Africa We Want: Unpacking the Primacy of Africa in South Africa’s Foreign Policy}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2016}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/the-africa-we-want-unpacking-the-primacy-of-africa-in-south-africas-foreign-policy/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }