The Southern African Development Community (SADC) convened a meeting of the Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (TIFI) Thematic Group on 22 September 2025 at the SADC Headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana.
The meeting brought together SADC institutions; the SADC Secretariat, the SADC Accreditation Services (SADCAS) and the SADC Development Finance Resource Centre (SADC-DFRC), as well as a number of International Cooperating Partners (ICPs). 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 was co-chaired by Ms. Simone Goetz, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Botswana; Mr. Sadwick L. Mtonakutha, SADC Director of Finance, Investment and Customs; and Mr. Dhunraj Kassee, SADC Director of Industrial Development and Trade.
The TIFI Thematic Group serves as a strategic platform for advancing SADC’s regional integration agenda and facilitates the coordinated implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP 2020 - 2030) by fostering dialogue, harmonising development partner support and mobilising resources.
A central focus of the meeting was the Multi-Year Action Plan (MYAP) for the next four years. The MYAP provides a comprehensive roadmap to deepen trade facilitation, industrial development, financial integration, and investment promotion across the region. It sets ambitious targets across three clusters: trade and customs, industry and standards, and macroeconomic, financial and investment cooperation. It also highlights challenges such as the slow pace of industrialisation, declining manufacturing value-added, low levels of intra-SADC trade, and delays in operationalising the SADC Regional Development Fund.
The session reviewed progress on the Regional Leather Value Chain, emphasising the need for value addition and policy harmonisation to enhance industrial competitiveness. The meeting also shared updates on ongoing negotiations under the Free Trade Area (FTA), the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with renewed commitments to accelerate its implementation.
In light of external shocks such as climate change and evolving global trade dynamics, the TIFI Thematic Group reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive, sustainable and resilient development.
The next TIFI Thematic Group meeting is scheduled for May 2026 to review progress on the implementation of the new Multi-Year Action Plan.
