HEALTH CLUSTER

𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐂 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭, 𝐀𝐟𝐃𝐁 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 The Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) are holding a Strategic Engagement Mission from 08-09 October 2026 in Gaborone, Botswana, to strengthen collaboration on regional integration, infrastructure development, industrialisation, and sustainable financing. Opening the mission, Dr Judith Kateera, #SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Corporate Affairs, welcomed the #AfDB delegation led by Dr Kennedy K. Mbekeani, Director General of the African Development Bank Southern Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office. She described the engagement as a timely opportunity to align priorities under the Revised SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 and the Bank's redesigned strategy. Dr Kateera noted that despite growing economic pressures from global uncertainties, trade disruptions, commodity price volatility, and constrained financing conditions, the region has significant opportunities to strengthen value chains, accelerate industrialisation, and attract strategic investment. Dr Mbekeani reaffirmed the Bank's commitment to supporting SADC's regional integration and development agenda. He outlined the Bank's operating model and highlighted financing and advisory instruments available to Member States, including sovereign and non-sovereign financing, project preparation support, guarantees, blended finance, and technical assistance. He said the Bank stands ready to help develop regional projects to bankability and mobilise investment for infrastructure, trade, energy, and industrialisation. Dr Kateera highlighted the Secretariat's intention to seek AfDB support for transformative regional projects, including the North-South Corridor, One-Stop Border Posts, the SADC Integrated Digital Payment System, regional agro-processing initiatives, pharmaceutical manufacturing, energy interconnections, and mineral beneficiation programmes. She also reiterated the importance of operationalising the SADC Regional Development Fund as a sustainable mechanism for financing regional priorities. The Deputy Executive Secretary called on the AfDB to continue playing a catalytic role through concessional financing, blended finance instruments, guarantees, and project preparation support to unlock public and private investment in infrastructure, energy, agriculture, health, and industrial value chains. The African Development Bank remains one of SADC's key funding partners, with an active portfolio valued at approximately UA16.9 million (US$22.1 million) supporting regional development initiatives. Among the Bank-supported initiatives is the PROFISHBLUE Project, valued at UA6.4 million (US$9.2 million), which has benefited more than 3.3 million people through fisheries governance reforms, strengthened regional fish value chains, and blue economy investments. The SADC Trade and Transit Facilitation Programme, valued at UA4.5 million (US$6.3 million), is improving trade and transport efficiency along the North-South Corridor, while the Resilient Health Systems for Emergency Preparedness (RHeSEP) Project, valued at UA6.97 million (US$9.8 million), is strengthening regional health security and emergency preparedness. The AfDB is also supporting the SADC Macroeconomic Convergence and Financial Integration Project, valued at UA5 million (US$7 million), to advance macroeconomic stability and financial market integration across the region.

𝗦𝗔𝗗𝗖 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers have called for coordinated regional action to protect food systems by enhancing fertilizer harmonisation, crop development and control of animal disease such as Food and Mouth (FMD)to enhance regional food security and resilience. The SADC Committee of Ministers responsible for Agriculture, Food Security, Fisheries and Aquaculture made the call at the meeting held on 29 May 2026 in Victoria Falls, Republic of Zimbabwe. Read the outcomes of the Meeting of SADC Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security, Fisheries and Aquaculture: sadc.int/latest-news/sadc-mi…