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 November 4, 2025, at the SADC Secretariat Headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana. The meeting focused on enhancing collaboration to advance sustainable development, regional integration, and institutional capacity-building across the SADC region.
Dr. Naab leads UNDP’s strategic engagement and programmatic partnerships 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, supporting inclusive growth, governance, peacebuilding, and resilience initiatives across the continent.
H.E. Magosi welcomed Dr. Naab and his delegation, commending the long-standing partnership between SADC and UNDP. He highlighted the importance 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,” H.E. Magosi said. “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 identified key thematic areas for cooperation, including governance and institutional capacity development, climate change adaptation, digital transformation, youth empowerment, and gender equality. He emphasised the need for coordinated and results-driven collaboration to achieve measurable impact at both regional and national levels. The SADC Secretariat will designate focal points to work closely with UNDP counterparts to implement initiatives across these priority areas.
Dr. Naab reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to supporting SADC’s Vision 2050 and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030. “UNDP remains a steadfast partner to SADC and its Member States,” he said. “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 technical and programmatic support to ensure that regional initiatives deliver tangible results for communities.”
Dr. Naab also emphasised UNDP’s readiness to mobilise expertise from its regional networks to accelerate implementation of initiatives under the MoU. Both parties agreed to fast-track the finalisation of a Joint Action Plan, which will operationalise the MoU and define specific areas of cooperation, deliverables, and timelines. They also committed to convening technical working sessions to monitor progress and ensure effective coordination.
H.E. Magosi expressed appreciation for UNDP’s continued partnership and reaffirmed SADC’s dedication to strengthening collaboration to achieve sustainable and inclusive development across Southern Africa. The meeting underscored the commitment of both organisations to leverage shared expertise and resources to deliver measurable outcomes for the region.
