SADC ministers responsible for transport, information and communication technologies (ICT), information and meteorology are meeting in Bulawayo to craft the roadmap for regional integration.
The ministerial meeting follows three days of deliberations by senior government officials and policymakers to review sector progress and finalise briefing documents covering the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), broadband expansion, artificial intelligence, and disaster preparedness. The senior officials also developed recommendations to be placed before ministers for consideration and approval. Chairperson of the SADC ministerial committee Barbara Creecy.
The summit's agenda centres on four priority areas: modernisation of regional transport corridors; acceleration of digital transformation and ICT integration; strengthening of climate resilience and meteorological services; and the advancement of innovation, including the use of Artificial Intelligence in infrastructure development.
Bridging the ministerial and senior officials' segments, a high-level ministerial roundtable dialogue convened on Wednesday focusing on advancing regional aviation priorities, harmonisation of aviation taxes, route development and the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market.
The Bulawayo dialogue adds SADC's weight to a broader continental aviation push that gained momentum last week when African ministers adopted the Lomé Declaration at the African Air Transport Convention and Expo 2026 in Togo.
The ministers are expected to review progress made against the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP 2020-2030) and the Short-Term Action Plan II of the SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP 2012-2027).
Deliberations will also be guided by the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology - a 1996 legal instrument that binds member states to an integrated, multimodal and environmentally responsible regional transport and communications framework.
According to the SADC secretariat, the outcomes of the meeting are expected to contribute to improved efficiency in regional systems, enhanced trade facilitation, and strengthened resilience to climate and economic challenges.
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"These engagements are designed to facilitate coordinated policy dialogue, strengthen regional cooperation and advance harmonised programmes in transport, communications, ICT, meteorology and information services," the secretariat said in a statement ahead of the summit.
The Bulawayo indaba is the latest in a series of cluster meetings held periodically to ensure ministerial-level accountability over SADC's sectoral integration agenda.
