By Simon Nare
Southern African states must strengthen coordination and implementation to ensure regional decisions deliver measurable benefits for citizens, the chairperson of the SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials, Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo, said on Thursday.
Speaking at the Senior Officials Meeting for the 46th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in Durban, Seokolo said institutional reforms should improve coordination among member states and the SADC Secretariat and increase the effectiveness of regional institutions.
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The meeting comes as South Africa formally assumes the chairpersonship of the Standing Committee of Senior Officials from August 2026 to August 2027.
Seokolo said the committee’s work extended beyond debating regional issues and included ensuring that the SADC Council of Ministers received strategic, well-considered and implementable recommendations.
He described the committee as a bridge between policy formulation and implementation, saying the quality of its work would influence how quickly regional commitments translated into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
Senior officials are expected to consider reports on the implementation of previous Summit and Council decisions, efforts to strengthen monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems, resource mobilisation and the sustainable financing of the regional bloc.
They will also consider measures aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of SADC institutions.
“Our aspiration for a region that produces what it consumes and trades more extensively within itself remains alive. Therefore, industrialisation remains the cornerstone of our regional efforts to drive economic transformation, create decent employment, and advance shared prosperity.
“These efforts must be complemented by sustained investment in infrastructure development, trade and market integration, food and nutrition security, energy security, climate resilience, social and human development, public health, gender equality, youth empowerment and institutional strengthening – all of which remain at the centre of our regional integration agenda,” Seokolo said.
He said institutional reforms would be central to strengthening implementation and ensuring that decisions taken by SADC institutions produced measurable developmental outcomes across the region.
He said officials had dedicated considerable time to refining a mechanism aimed at rationalising the number and quality of SADC decisions.
He added that SADC had remained a symbol of solidarity, collective self-reliance and regional cooperation for more than four decades.
The organisation’s responsibility was now to preserve that legacy while preparing for future opportunities for people across the region, including farmers, goldsmiths, truck drivers, fishers and small business owners, he said.
“This requires us to strengthen the implementation of our regional programmes, deepen cooperation among our member states, enhance institutional effectiveness and continue building a peaceful, prosperous, resilient and integrated Southern African region.
“This vision must be underpinned by resilient institutions, an ethical organisational culture that promotes transparency and accountability, a professional and committed workforce, and, above all, an Executive Management that unites staff around a common vision and remains fully invested in the affairs, performance and reputation of the organisation.”
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He said South Africa would approach its leadership role over the next 12 months with humility, a spirit of service and a sense of urgency.
“Together, we must continue to strengthen the foundations of our organisation and advance the aspirations embodied in the SADC Treaty, Vision 2050 and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan,” he said.
