The Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (#SADC), H.E Elias M. Magosi today 09 March 2025 met with the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Sub-Regional Coordinator for Southern Africa, Dr Patrice Talla. The Courtesy visit took place in Harare, Zimbabwe at the margins of the SADC Ordinary Council of Ministers Meeting to take place from 12-13 March 2025. The Executive Secretary was accompanied by the #SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, Ms. Angรจle Makombo NโTumba, Director of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Dr. Domingos Gove and Director of Industrial Development & Trade, Mr. Dhunraj Kassee.
The main purpose of the meeting was for the FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator to meet the Executive Secretary to discuss issues of mutual interest more specially with regard to food security in the region.
The #SADC Secretariat and FAO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 18th September 2020. The MoU aims to promote cooperation mainly in the areas of food security and agriculture, including livestock and crops; natural resources, including fisheries/aquaculture and forestry;environment and climate change; and animal and plant genetic resources conservation. Subsequently, an Action Plan was developed in March 2021 by the two organisations, to guide their joint work, including resource mobilisation.
The Executive Secretary thanked the FAO for their technical and financial support provided to the Region and to individual Member States to progress with the implementation of the #SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP 2020-2030), in the area of Agriculture and Food Security; Blue Economy, Fisheries and Aquaculture; Natural Resource Management; and Environment and Climate Change. H.E. Magosi underscored the willingness of #SADC Secretariat to continue working closely with FAO to fully implement RISDP 2020-2030 in those sectors.
On his part Dr. Talla emphasised the need to review the current MoU 2020-2025, and develop and sign a new MoU for the period 2025โ2030 to progress with the joint implementation of the RISDP 2020-2030, as well as the Kampala Declaration, approved in January 2025 by the Africa Head of States and Government, on Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme.
