𝗦𝗔𝗗𝗖 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

The Standing Committee of the Senior Officials of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is meeting on 7-8 March 2026 in Pretoria, South Africa, to prepare for the upcoming meeting of the SADC Council of Ministers scheduled for on 12-13 March 2026.

The meeting has been convened under the theme adopted at the 45th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held in August 2025 in Antananarivo, Republic of Madagascar, “Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation, and Energy Transition for a Resilient SADC”. The interventions under the theme are aimed at modernising agriculture and investing in clean, sustainable energy, to build a stronger and more self-reliant SADC region.

In his opening remarks, Chairperson of the SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials, Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo, Deputy Director-General for Africa at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, stressed the need for sound policies, results-based plans, and sustainable resources to unlock the region’s potential.

Ambassador Seokolo called for accelerated efforts to address challenges posed by geopolitical tensions, economic volatility, climate-induced shocks and disruptions in global supply chains. He highlighted the need to enhance increased intra-regional trade which remains low at 23%, facilitate efficient and faster movement of goods across the region and ensure food security for SADC citizens.

"Across our region, citizens look to our regional organisation to translate commitments into tangible improvements in livelihoods, employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, food security, energy access and resilience to shocks. Our responsibility as Senior Officials is therefore clear: to ensure that the machinery of regional cooperation functions efficiently, responsibly and with measurable results," said Ambassador Seokolo.

Key regional issues on the agenda of the Senior Officials, include, 
✅ Update on Implementation of the Themes of the Summit of Heads of State and Government 
✅ Update on the Review of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (SISR) 2015–2063
✅ Progress on Implementation of regional programmes and projects 
✅ The Impact of Global Geopolitical Developments on the SADC region 
✅ State of Disaster Risk Management in the SADC Region 
✅ Update on the Regional Food and Nutrition Security 
✅ Operationalisation of the SADC Regional Development Fund
✅ Operationalisation of the HIV and AIDS Special Fund: Round IV
✅ Report of the Mid-Term Review of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030. 
✅ Consideration of the Annual Corporate Plan and Budget for the 2026-2027 Financial Year.

SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials, consisting of permanent secretaries or officials of similar rank in the SADC Member States, serves as the technical advisory committee to the Council of Ministers.