SADC Acting Executive Secretary Hosts UK Minister for Strategic Cooperation Talks

Dr. George Ah-Thew, Acting Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), welcomed British Minister Lord Collins of Highbury at the SADC Head Office. 

Lord Collins was joined by His Excellency Mr. Giles Enticknap, British High Commissioner to Botswana and UK Special Representative to SADC, to discuss areas of mutual interest and cooperation.

Lord Collins, Deputy Leader of the UK House of Lords and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, reaffirmed the UK’s dedication to enhancing partnerships with SADC. 

Discussions centered on regional diplomacy, socio-economic development, and combating sexual violence within SADC’s integration agenda.

The UK emphasized its commitment to areas like energy, climate change, and infrastructure development, alongside its £12 million pledge to SADC’s Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. 

Dr. Ah-Thew expressed gratitude for the UK’s support and outlined SADC’s priorities under its Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030, aiming to transform the region into an industrialized, inclusive middle- to high-income economy.

Both parties agreed to develop a Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) to advance cooperation.