The Southern African Development Community (SADC) in collaboration with its Cooperating Partners namely African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and Sweden, and United Nations specialised agencies namely UNAIDS, UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO under 2gether4SRHR, on 1-3 October 2025 convened a Multisectoral Consultative Forum on the SADC Framework for Sexual and Reproductive Heath Rights (SRHR) and Demographic Dividend.
The Multisectoral Consultative Forum was held in Lusaka, Republic of Zambia under the theme: Investing in Social and Human Development for Economic Growth, Wellbeing, Peace and Security in SADC. The Forum brought together experts on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), HIV, Population and Economic Planning, employment and entrepreneurship, and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) from SADC Member States to deliberate on the available body of knowledge, lessons and experiences and develop a common strategic framework for programming on SRHR -Youth for the demographic dividend in SADC.
The Director of Social and Human Development at the SADC Secretariat, Mrs. Duduzile Simelane underscored the need for investing in young people to allow countries to leverage a demographic dividend, turning the young population into an engine for economic growth and prosperity for the SADC region.
She added that investment in youth is a key driver for sustainable development and provides opportunities and support for youth to foster their engagements and contribution to society, leading to more stable communities. “Neglecting youth development can lead to poor socio-economic development outcomes” she said.
On his part, the Country Representative of UNFPA for Zambia, Mr. Seth Broekman, said it is essential to recognise that youth who are well equipped are more likely to experience improved health and financial resilience as they age, thereby reducing future social and economic burdens on the state.
“Considering the youthful population in the SADC region, investing in youth today is the best preparation for tomorrow—it’s a proactive strategy for long-term national development reflecting the demographic trend shift of Africa in near future”, he stressed.
The AUDA-NEPAD Programme Management Unit (PMU) Coordinator, Dr. Hagos Debeb highlighted that SADC’s growing young population, with nearly 75% of the SADC population under 35, presents a rare and urgent window to accelerate economic growth, alleviate poverty, and foster inclusive development.
The Representative of the Republic of Madagascar, the Chair of SADC, Mrs. Soazafintabany Suzanna Raymonde called for multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration. She added that investing in youth and sexual and reproductive health is not an option, but a strategic necessity for the achievement of the African Union's Agenda 2063, Sustainable Development Goals and the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP 2020-2030).
A representative of the Swedish Embassy in Zambia Ms. Tamara Johsson, pledged Swedish Government support to the SRHR programmes in the SADC region. “We are confident that, together we can assure that all young people regardless of their circumstances can be given the opportunity to thrive,” she highlighted.
One of the youth participants, Ms. Evelyn Namaiko from United Movement, a youth-led advocacy movement focused on HIV and SRHR in East and Southern Africa, described the forum as an eye opener and an important step towards putting youth and SRHR issues on top of the regional development agenda.
During the three-day meeting, stakeholders identified challenges and proposed pathways for SRHR and Youth towards Demographic Dividend. Some of the key challenges include structural barriers faced by the youth in rural and remote areas to access SRHR and HIV services due to poor infrastructure, limited connectivity, and lack of youth-friendly service models. In response to the identified challenges, the Forum discussed integrated approach to address multidimensional inequalities through human capital development, the role of education and skills development and the role of employment and entrepreneurship in harnessing the Demographic Dividend.
The outcomes of the Multisectoral Consultative Forum will be presented to the technical multisectoral meeting of SRH /HIV/Monitoring and Evaluation Managers scheduled for 6-10 October 2025 for their review, input and validation, in preparation for approval by the Joint meeting of SADC Ministries of Health and HIV in November 2025.
