On Friday, 30 June 2023, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Secretariat handed over a climate-smart agriculture pilot project to Metsimotlhabe Community Trust in Botswana. The project was officially handed over to the community by Mr. Nchidzi Mmolawa, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs, who was the Guest of Honour at the event.
On 21 June 2023, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), in collaboration with Zambia’s Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry of Agriculture handed over the Katapazi WEF Nexus Demonstration Project to the community. The project is located in Katapazi area of Kazungula District, Southern Province in Zambia.
The development of a USD 10.8 billion Botswana Water Investment Programme is currently under way following H.E. Mokgweetsi Masisi’s commitment at the United Nations 2023 Water Conference in New York to place the provision of water and sanitation services as well as the attendant infrastructure at the forefront of the national development agenda.
Four SADC Oceanic States of Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles are collaborating to develop a Water, Energy, Food & Ecosystem (WEFE) Security Nexus Regional Programme that promotes a multi-sector approach in ensuring natural resource use efficiency, whilst achieving water, energy, and food security.
Botswana and Tanzania have recorded remarkable progress in the implementation of climate-smart pilot projects addressing Water, Energy, and Food securities through the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) Project being implemented in the two countries.
On Wednesday, 5 April 2023, His Excellency Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, formally received the Global Water Changemakers Award which had been presented to him in absentia during the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York.
Four co-chairs of the International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa; H.E Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal and Chair of the African Union, H.E Hage Geingob, President of Namibia, H.E Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands and H.E Jakaya Kikwete, Former President of the Republic of Tanzania have each received the Presidential Global Changemakers Award for demonstrating high level political commitment and leadership for climate resilient water security in Africa.
Four Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States have commended the SADC Secretariat for taking the lead in the fight against communicable diseases, including COVID-19 and cholera, through the installation of handwashing facilities at border crossings.