The Southern African Development Community has adopted a new Multi-Year Action Plan aimed at accelerating regional integration, following a meeting of its Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment Thematic Group at the SADC Headquarters in Gaborone.
The MYAP, a key outcome of the session, will serve as a four-year roadmap to strengthen trade, industrial development, and financial cooperation. It sets ambitious targets across three clusters: trade and customs, industry and standards, and macroeconomic, financial, and investment integration.
Discussions highlighted long-standing economic challenges in the region, such as the slow pace of industrialization, low levels of intra-SADC trade, and delays in operationalising the SADC Regional Development Fund.
The group also reviewed the Regional Leather Value Chain, stressing the importance of value addition and policy harmonisation to boost competitiveness.
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The session provided a platform to “review progress, exchange insights, and strengthen coordination in advancing regional priorities on trade, industrial development, finance and investment.”
The meeting brought together SADC institutions and International Cooperating Partners, co-chaired by Ms. Simone Goetz, Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy in Botswana, alongside SADC Directors Sadwick L. Mtonakutha and Dhunraj Kassee.
A renewed commitment was made to fast-track the implementation of major trade agreements, including the SADC Free Trade Area, the Tripartite Free Trade Area, and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The TIFI Thematic Group reaffirmed its dedication to inclusive, sustainable, and resilient development, particularly in the face of external shocks such as climate change.
A follow-up meeting is scheduled for May 2026 to review progress on the action plan.
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