The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Executive Secretary, His Excellency Mr. Elias Magosi, held a consultative meeting with Dr. Matthias Naab, Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Service Centre for Africa (RSCA), on 04 November 2025, at the SADC Secretariat Headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana.
The meeting aimed to explore enhanced collaboration between SADC and UNDP in advancing sustainable development, regional integration, and institutional capacity-building within the SADC region.
Dr. Naab leads the UNDP Regional Service Centre’s strategic engagement and programmatic partnership with regional and continental institutions on behalf of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA). The RSCA provides policy, technical, and programmatic advisory services to 46 countries under the RBA, supporting inclusive growth, governance, peacebuilding, and resilience initiatives across the continent.
H.E. Mr. Elias Magosi welcomed Dr. Naab and his delegation, commending the long-standing collaboration between SADC and UNDP in supporting regional development priorities. He underscored the significance of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations, describing it as a “critical framework for structured and strategic engagement.”
“The MoU between SADC and UNDP represents a cornerstone for our partnership,” said H.E. Magosi. “It provides a clear pathway to strengthen our collaboration in advancing regional integration, good governance, peace and security, and the sustainable development agenda in Southern Africa. Through this partnership, we aim to leverage UNDP’s technical expertise to complement SADC’s regional programmes and ensure that no Member State is left behind.”
The Executive Secretary further noted that several thematic areas of cooperation had been identified, including governance and institutional capacity development, climate change adaptation, digital transformation, youth empowerment, and gender equality. He emphasised the need for both institutions to work in a coordinated and results-driven manner to ensure impact at the regional and national levels.
To facilitate implementation, the SADC Secretariat will designate focal points to work closely with their UNDP counterparts on the various thematic areas.
In his remarks, Dr. Matthias Naab reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to supporting SADC’s efforts toward realising its Vision 2050 and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030.
“UNDP remains a steadfast partner to SADC and its Member States,” Dr. Naab stated. “Our collaboration is guided by a shared vision for inclusive growth, resilience, and prosperity for the people of Southern Africa. We are committed to deepening our technical and programmatic support to ensure that regional initiatives translate into tangible results for communities across the region.”
Dr. Naab also emphasised UNDP’s readiness to mobilise expertise across its regional networks to support SADC’s institutional priorities and accelerate the implementation of agreed initiatives under the MoU.
Both SADC and UNDP agreed to accelerate the finalisation of the Joint Action Plan, which will operationalise the MoU and define concrete areas of cooperation, deliverables, and timelines. The two parties reaffirmed their commitment to convening technical working sessions to review progress and ensure effective coordination going forward.
In closing, H.E. Magosi expressed appreciation to UNDP for its continued partnership and reaffirmed SADC’s readiness to strengthen collaboration towards achieving sustainable and inclusive development in the region.
