The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain accredited to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and based in Namibia, His Excellency Mr. Francisco Javier Pagalday Gastelurrutia, presented his Letters of Credence to the SADC Executive Secretary, His Excellency Mr. Elias M. Magosi on 28 April 2026 pledging to foster and deepen cooperation between SADC and the Kingdom of Spain.
H.E. Ambassador Gastelurrutia reaffirmed Spain’s commitment to cooperate with the SADC region to foster inclusive economic growth building on the progress made during the tenure of his predecessor, H.E. Mr. Alberto de la Calle, who concluded his tour of duty in December 2025.
The Spanish Ambassador reiterated his Government’s commitment to continue the High-Level Officials Exchange Programme, under which the country annually deploys its diplomats to Africa and hosts African officials in Spain to strengthen diplomatic ties between Spain and Africa.
H.E. Magosi congratulated Ambassador Gastelurrutia on his appointment and thanked the Kingdom of Spain for its support in various programmes in the SADC region through bilateral cooperation and its contribution through European Union Framework and Direct Support through multilateral organisations such as the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations (UN) system.
The SADC Executive Secretary highlighted that the new Strategy for Africa for 2025-2028 launched by the Kingdom of Spain which recognises Africa’s prosperity, security, and inclusive development as strategic interests for Spain, is aligned to the priorities outlined in the SADC Regional Indicative Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 and Vision 2050.
The SADC Executive Secretary expressed appreciation to the Kingdom of Spain for a grant of US$951,980 to support financial inclusion, agribusiness training, and value addition under the Creating Opportunities for Women and Youth in Agribusiness (COWYA) programme.
