Staff Writer
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) will convene a meeting of its Committee of Ministers of Finance and Investment, alongside the Peer Review Panel, on 2 July 2026 in Harare, Zimbabwe, as part of ongoing efforts to deepen regional financial integration and strengthen macroeconomic coordination across Member States.
According to SADC, the meeting will focus on enhancing cooperation in investment, financial sector development, capital market integration, and macroeconomic surveillance, with the broader goal of supporting sustainable economic development and inclusive growth in the region.
The session will be chaired by South Africa’s Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Committee of SADC Ministers of Finance and Investment.
It will be preceded by a preparatory meeting of senior treasury officials and central bank representatives scheduled for 29–30 June 2026.
These technical officials are expected to provide input and analysis to guide ministerial deliberations.
SADC noted that the Committee of Ministers plays a central role in driving regional integration by aligning financial and investment policies across Member States, promoting trade and productive investment, and supporting macroeconomic stability and convergence.
The structure is supported by the SADC Protocol on Finance and Investment, which provides the legal framework for harmonised economic cooperation in the region.
The Peer Review Panel, comprising finance ministers and central bank governors from Member States, will also assess progress on macroeconomic convergence targets and recommend corrective measures where necessary to ensure policy consistency and stability.
Key issues on the agenda include the strengthening of macroeconomic convergence frameworks and the development of regional capital markets, including progress on real-time cross-border payment systems such as the SADC Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) platform, which is designed to facilitate faster settlement of regional transactions without reliance on external intermediary banks.
Ministers are also expected to discuss efforts to attract foreign direct investment in line with global standards, as well as progress on the operationalisation of the SADC Regional Development Fund and the proposed SADC Development Finance Resource Centre.
Other agenda items include the interconnectivity of SADC stock exchanges under the Committee of SADC Stock Exchanges, regulatory cooperation through the Committee of Insurance, Securities and Non-Banking Financial Authorities, and measures to strengthen anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing frameworks across the region.
The meeting will further review progress on the signing and implementation of key regional legal instruments, including the SADC Agreement on Assistance in Tax Matters and the Protocol on Finance and Investment, alongside reflections on outcomes from a recent SADC Foreign Affairs Ministers retreat held in May 2026 in South Africa.
SADC said the outcomes of the meeting will be submitted to the Council of Ministers and are expected to contribute to the implementation of the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (2020–2030) and the SADC Vision 2050 framework.
