Online Reporter
Wallace Ruzvidzo
Herald Reporter
The Sadc Council of Ministers will convene today and tomorrow to discuss progress on regional integration initiatives, the bloc’s Secretariat has said.
In a communiqué yesterday, the Sadc Secretariat said the regional bloc remained committed to modernising agriculture and investing in clean, sustainable energy to strengthen the region’s resilience and self‑reliance — the key motivation for convening the meeting.
The meeting will take place in Pretoria, South Africa, under the theme “Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation, and Energy Transition for a Resilient Sadc”, which was adopted at the 45th Sadc Summit of Heads of State and Government in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, is expected to attend.
“The Council of Ministers of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) will meet on March 12 and 13, 2026, in Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, to deliberate on the implementation of regional integration programmes.
“Honourable Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, will chair the meeting in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Sadc Council of Ministers.
“The theme reflects Sadc’s commitment to modernising agriculture and investing in clean, sustainable energy, to build a stronger and more self‑reliant region,” reads the communiqué.
During the two‑day meeting, ministers will, among other issues, review and discuss:
the status of implementation of Council and Summit decisions
Disaster Risk Management
the State of Regional Food and Nutrition Security
operationalisation of the Sadc Regional Development Fund
updates on the Review of the Sadc Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (SISR) 2015–2063
consideration of the Sadc Secretariat’s Annual Operational Plan and Budget for the 2026–2027 Financial Year.
The Sadc Council of Ministers meeting is preceded by several technical sessions, including the Sadc Senior Officials and Experts Mid‑Term Review of the RISDP, the Sadc Standing Committee of Senior Officials, and Finance Committee meetings.
The Council of Ministers oversees the functioning and development of Sadc and ensures that the bloc’s policies and decisions are implemented.
It consists of ministers from each of the 16 Sadc member states, typically from the Ministries responsible for Foreign Affairs, International Relations, Economic Planning, Finance or Trade. The Council meets twice a year, in March and August.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued as the bloc joined the global community in commemorating International Women’s Day last Sunday, Sadc said access to justice for women and girls was not merely a legal imperative but a transformative promise.
“To this end, the Sadc region has made significant progress in strengthening legislative frameworks on gender‑based violence, domestic violence, sexual offences, child protection and anti‑trafficking laws, and in promoting gender equality.
“In the context of gender‑based violence, which disproportionately affects women and girls, we call for an enabling environment where women can claim their rights without intimidation, where survivors of gender‑based violence receive timely protection and fair redress, and where structural and systemic barriers that impede women and girls from accessing justice are addressed,” said the regional bloc.
