Managers of projects and programmes implemented by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) with support from International Cooperating Partners and SADC Member States on 29 April 2025 dedicated a day-long session to review progress and performance of the projects and programmes with the view to ensure efficient utilisation of the resources and maximum delivery of the intended results.
The session was facilitated by the SADC’s Directorate of Policy Planning and Resource Mobilization with technical support from the Project Management Support Unit (PMSU). The PMSU provided a background on the Project Management Support Services and a Project Management Analytical Report on Projects under Channel One.
The meeting was co-chaired by the SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, Ms. Angele Makombo N’Tumba and SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Corporate Affairs, Dr. Judith Kateera at the SADC Secretariat and it drew participation of Directors, Heads of Unit and Managers of Projects and Programmes.
In their remarks, the two SADC Deputy Executive Secretaries underscored the need to foresee and address project operational issues before they become emergencies to deal with. To use the word of Arnold Glasow who said that “One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.”
They highlighted that such sessions should be held regularly to serve as a strategic platform to share information, celebrate success and find solutions to problems affecting the institution. Projects and programmes are the means to achieve the objectives espoused in the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 and Vision 2050.
The two SADC Deputy Executive Secretaries pledged Management commitment and support to address the bottlenecks faced by projects and programmes to improve efficiency, effectiveness and impact of SADC’s projects and programmes on SADC citizens.
Twelve projects and programmes were presented, highlighting updates on the progress made, challenges encountered and plans that have been put in place to enhance their management and performance. The SADC projects and programmes are all aligned to the strategic priority areas of the RISDP 2020-2030 and Vision 2050 namely: Peace, Security, and Good Governance; Industrial Development and Market Integration; Infrastructure Development in Support of Regional Integration; Social and Human Capital Development; and Cross-cutting issues which include Gender, Youth, Environment and Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management.
At the end of the meeting, the participants re-affirmed their resolve to strengthen internal controls, expedite processes for implementation of the projects and programmes, enhance communication, awareness and visibility to showcase the impact of the projects on the lives of the SADC citizens.
The following are some of the projects and programmes that shared their updates
EU-APSA- Funded by the European Union to the tune of Euros 5 132 861, the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) project is a five-year project which commenced in 2020 and will come to an end in December 2025. The main objective of the EU-APSA programme is to assist the SADC region contribute to Continental Peace, Security and Stability by strengthening SADC’s capacity to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts in the Region.
Enhancing the Capability and Effectiveness of SADC’s Peace and Security Architecture (ECESPA) project: The ECESPA is a four-year project funded by the European Union to the tune of US$ 13.8 million. The project aims to promote peace, security, stability, and democracy as a foundation for regional integration and development in line with RISDP 2020-2030. Specifically, ECESPA aims to enhance the effectiveness of SADC Peace and Security Architecture to enable early response and action and enhance the capacity of Non state Actors (NSAs) in conflict tracking and early response.
SADC HIV Special Fund-Round 3: The SADC HIV Fund was established following the decision of the Extraordinary SADC Summit on HIV and AIDS of July 2003 in Maseru, Kingdom of Lesotho. It is funded by SADC Member States through the contributions of 5% of their annual contributions. The Fund is used as a catalytic fund to facilitate resource mobilisation; enhance the capacity, output, or impact of existing HIV and AIDS programmes, and support short-term research and intervention projects implemented by government and civil society partners.
Regional Climate Resilience Program (RCRP): This project is funded by the World Bank to the tune of US$5 Million. Its objective is to increase the resilience to climate shocks of vulnerable populations in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Extended Institutional Capacity Building (EICB)- This project is funded by the European Union (Euros 2.5 million) and it aims at accelerating the implementation of the RISDP 2020-30 through targeted capacity building initiatives at the SADC Secretariat and Member States. Interventions under this project seek to improve implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of projects and the RISDP 2020-2030; Sustainable Financing of the RISDP 2020-2030; Enhanced participation of Non-State Actors in Pursuing the Regional Integration Agenda and Enhanced evidence-based decision making in pursuit of SADC’s regional integration agenda.
Disaster Risk Management Strengthening in Southern African Community (DRMSS) -Funded by the European Union at a total cost of USD4.6 million and implemented through the SADC Secretariat and the International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent (IFRC), the Project aims to contribute to the reduction of the impacts of natural and manmade hazards, strengthen disaster (risk) management and preparedness capacity, and increase resilience in the SADC region.
PROFISHBLUE Project – funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to the tune of US$10.14 million, the project commended in 2022 and will come to an end this year, 2025. It aims to promote sustainable management of fisheries resources within the blue economy context to improve food and nutritional security, create employment through value chain activities, facilitate intra-regional trade, and build adaptive capacity against climate change and other external shocks. In implementing PROFISHBLUE initiatives, the SADC Secretariat works in partnership with the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), WorldFish and Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).
RINAWA: Strengthening research and innovation in natural resources management and waste management in southern African region (RINAWA) Funded through OACPS by the European Union to the tune of Euro 5.8 million; the RINAWA project seeks to improve sustainable waste and natural resources management in the targeted countries of Southern Africa.
Macroeconomic Stability and Financial Integration (MSFI) Project: The Macroeconomic Stability and Financial Integration (MSFI) in the SADC region is a project worth USD6.6 million and funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) with two-pronged specific objective. First, it is to enhance macroeconomic stability and convergence of SADC region, and, second, support the development of integrated financial markets in SADC to facilitate the most efficient allocation of savings and investment.
CLIMSA Project: The Intra-ACP Climate Services and related Application Programme (CLIMSA) is funded by the European Union to the tune of Euros 8 million from 2019 to 2025. The main objective of this project is to foster low-emission and climate-resilient sustainable development in the SADC region. Specifically, the Programme seeks to improve Informed and inclusive decision-making regarding climate risks in the SADC region.
Trade and Transit Facilitation Project (TTFP): The TTFP is project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to the tune of USD5,850,000 for period from 2023 to 2027. The main objective of the project is to facilitate the movement of goods and people along the North-South Corridor and at key border crossings along the corridor, through supporting improvement of Customs border management and transport facilitation. Some of the key outcomes of the TTFP include promoting Intra-Regional Trade through enhancing Customs systems connectivity and enforcement resulting to reducing time of and securing clearance of goods, means of conveyance and passengers at border posts; enhancing sustainable maintenance and development of SADC Regional Railway network, and implementation of the harmonised regional road transport legal and regulatory framework.
SADC Regional Statistics Project: The SADC Regional Statistics Project is funded by the World Bank to the tune of US$10 Million from 2023 to 2028. Its objective is to strengthen the region's institutional capacity to produce, disseminate, and use quality statistics while increasing regional harmonisation and collaboration in support of SADC regional integration. Through its interventions, SADC works to improve capacity for data production, management and dissemination, and to improve access and usage of regional statistics through the development of open data portals with the latest dissemination technologies. The project managed to achieve 90% of its annual targets.
