Implementation of the regional integration agenda of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is being amplified through an €18,7 million programme jointly funded by the European Union (EU) and the Federal Republic of Germany.
Through the Integrated Institutional Capacity Building Programme (IICB), the SADC Secretariat seeks to speed up implementation of the SADC regional integration agenda guided by the Vision 2050 and Regional Indicative Strategic Development Programme 2020-2030.
Specifically, the IICB Programme is aimed at enhancing the capacity of national structures of SADC Member States and the Secretariat to facilitate and co-ordinate implementation of regional programmes.
IICB aims to achieve its objectives through strengthening capacity of the SADC Secretariat and structures of Member States. This will see enhanced service delivery by the Secretariat; better engagement between the Secretariat, regional and national partners in the implementation of the regional agenda; and strengthened national structures in SADC Member States to effectively coordinate the implementation of the regional agenda.
Through the IICB Programme, SADC, in partnership with German development agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), is focusing on activities with impact in three sectors, namely industrialisation, agriculture and infrastructure development.
Specific Objective 1 (SO1) of IICB is to enhance the capacity of SADC Member States structures to facilitate and co-ordinate implementation of the regional agenda at country level.
Specific Objective 2 (SO2) enhances service delivery by the SADC Secretariat in support of programme/projects planning, co-ordination, resource mobilisation, implementation, monitoring and knowledge-sharing of regional commitments at country level.
To ensure effective implementation and delivery, SO1 and SO2 have separate implementation arrangements. GIZ is the lead implementing agency for SO1 also known as the Strengthening National Regional Linkages Programme (SNRL), while SO2 is being implemented directly by the SADC Secretariat.
The IICB Programme, runs from2019 – 2023) is co-financed by the EU under the 11th European Development Fund and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany through GIZ.
Ten SADC Member States -- Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia -- have already benefitted directly through awareness and targeted interventions on strengthening national and sectoral structures after being assisted to implement priority protocols.
