SADC and FAO Mobilise US$2.1B for Climate-Smart Agriculture
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have pitched a regional investment portfolio worth over US$2.1 billion to transform agri-food systems across Southern Africa.
The presentation took place during the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum for Southern Africa in Rome, part of the World Food Forum held from 14–17 October 2025, under the theme “Accelerating Climate-Smart Investments and Trade Integration in Southern Africa’s Agri-food Systems.”
The Hand-in-Hand (HiH) Initiative is an evidence-driven platform led by FAO and partners, including SADC, which converts national and regional agrifood plans into bankable investment opportunities. The annual Investment Forum provides a global stage for countries and regions to present financing proposals and engage potential investors and development partners.
The Southern Africa portfolio focuses on four priority areas: irrigation, mechanisation, agro-processing, and trade integration, all identified as critical for increasing resilience, enhancing value addition, and boosting intra-regional trade. These investment cases were validated by SADC Member States during a regional HiH workshop in Harare in September 2025.
The SADC Secretariat delegation was led by Mr Domingos Gove, Director of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Mr Dhunraj Kassee, Director of Industrial Development, while Mr Patrice Talla represented FAO’s Sub-regional Office for Southern Africa.
Delegates included Ministers of Agriculture from Angola, Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, as well as representatives from the private sector, Development Finance Institutions, NGOs, and SADC embassies in Rome. Angola and Zambia presented both national and regional investment plans to prospective investors.
The Southern Africa proposals seek financing as follows: US$0.6 billion for irrigation, US$0.3 billion for mechanisation, US$0.4 billion for agro-processing, and US$0.8 billion for trade facilitation. The portfolio projects an average internal rate of return of 20%, a potential income increase of US$223 per capita, and the possibility to benefit 7.8 million direct and 42.4 million indirect beneficiaries.
The pitches emphasised opportunities to transform agri-food systems through climate-smart irrigation and mechanisation, scale up agro-processing to capture local value, and strengthen trade corridors to promote SADC integration.
Following the Forum, SADC and FAO will hold follow-up dialogues with interested investors and Development Finance Institutions, establish technical working groups to finalise project documentation and due diligence, and schedule regional follow-ups to advance implementation.
