Gaborone, Botswana – Senior Officials from SADC Member States gathered from 20 to 21 November 2025 to review regional initiatives under the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020 – 2030. The meeting, supported by the Government of Germany through GIZ’s Strengthening National Regional Linkages Programme, brought together representatives from Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The officials provided guidance on initiatives ahead of their submission to the SADC Council for consideration in March 2026. Andrew Maswanganye, Director of SADC Economic Integration and Infrastructure for South Africa and Chairperson of the meeting, noted that the region is midway through implementing the RISDP 2020 – 2030. He pointed out ongoing structural challenges such as commodity-dependent economies, weak industrial bases, limited value addition, and low benefits from intra-regional and global trade. Emerging issues including climate change, economic shocks, security threats, intra-state conflicts, and rising geopolitical tensions continue to shape the region’s development.
Angele Makombo N’tumba, SADC Deputy Executive Secretary responsible for Regional Integration, called for stronger governance, coordination, and institutional efficiency to deepen regional integration. She urged officials to provide technical guidance for better implementation of the RISDP and improve the practical application of SADC instruments across member states.
During the two-day engagement, participants focused on rationalising Council Decisions to improve institutional effectiveness, operationalising the Non-State Actors’ Engagement Mechanism, assessing the SADC National Committees Peer Learning and Review Mechanism to enhance coordination and accountability, and reviewing the guidelines and Model Law for SADC National Committees to ensure compliance with the SADC Treaty.
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