PRESS RELEASE
SADC TO HOST MEETING OF THE STATISTICS COMMITTEE IN VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE
19 May 2025, Gaborone, Botswana: The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Statistics Committee will convene from 27 to 29 May 2025 in Victoria Falls, Republic of Zimbabwe, to assess progress on regional statistical initiatives and strategise on enhancing statistical systems across the SADC region.
The SADC Statistics Committee plays a critical role in advancing statistical development, harmonising statistical systems, and ensuring the availability of accurate, timely, and comparable data to support regional integration, effective policymaking, and monitoring of development goals.
During the meeting, the Committee will also deliberate on policy instruments for regional statistics both at regional and national levels with a particular focus on accelerating the signing and ratification process of the SADC Protocol on Statistics, which was approved by the Summit of Heads of State and Government in August 2021.
Key objectives of the meeting include:
Reviewing progress on regional statistical development initiatives.
Discussing the implementation of the Regional Strategy for the Development of Statistics (RSDS).
Harmonising statistical methodologies and indicators across Member States.
Strengthening the institutional and technical capacity of National Statistics Offices (NSOs).
Coordinating data collection and reporting for SADC regional indicators (economic, social, environmental).
The outcomes of this meeting will be instrumental in aligning statistical efforts across the region, thereby supporting evidence-based decision-making and sustainable development in Southern Africa.
For Media Enquiries, please contact:
Ms. Barbara Lopi, Head of Communication and Public Relations, email; blopi@sadc.int or Ms. Anethe Mtambanengwe, email amtambanengwe@sadc.int or email prinfo@sadc.int.
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SADC in Brief
SADC is an organisation of 16 Member States established in 1980 as the Southern African Development Coordinating Conference (SADCC) and later, in August,1992 transformed into the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The mission of SADC is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development through efficient, productive systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance and durable peace and security; so that the region emerges as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the world economy. Member States are Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Issued by the SADC Secretariat 19 May, 2025
Gaborone, Botswana
