Programme Update: SADC Business Council

The SADC BC is a regional apex body of national business associations of the 16 SADC Member States established in line with article 23 of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Treaty.

The main role of the SADC BC is to involve the national business associations, regional business organisations
in SADC, and other stakeholders of mutual interest including corporates and international chambers of
commerce in SADC decision-making processes to drive the implementation of SADC plans and priority programmes.

Working Groups
The NBF is the interim secretariat of SADC BC, and assists in supporting the following working groups:
• Non-tariff barriers (NTB), Trade facilitation and AfCFTA
• Regional Tourism
• SADC Trade and Investment Marketplace
• Circular Economy and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
• Tax Regulatory Harmonisation
• MSME Development

2023 – 2024 Highlights
Significant milestones during the reporting period include the following:
• Launched Circular Economy and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Platform in July 2023 which will focus on regional waste management and pilot a local EPR/Producer Responsibility Organisations (PRO) project in Zambia.
• Resolved Non-Tariff Barriers, including cases involving major industry players, paving the way for smoother cross-border business operations.
• On the 25th of October 2023, SADC and the SADC Business Council entered a transformative Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking an extraordinary milestone in regional development.
• Hosted the first Southern African Industrialisation Forum in February 2024. The Angolan-focused forum united key government leaders, industry experts, development partners, and business representatives in strategic dialogue around catalysing sustainable industrial growth across Southern Africa. Powerful opening remarks set the tone, aligning efforts with SADC’s Regional Industrialisation and Development Agenda. Ms Angele Makombo N’Tumba, SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, highlighted the forum’s alignment with the SADC Vision 2050 and Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030.
• Launched new tourism initiatives, including a dedicated website, collateral, and stakeholder engagements to
facilitate seamless tourism activities.
• Hosted AfCFTA stakeholder consultation meetings to discuss AfCFTA activities relevant to the private sector and identify ways to effectively implement the AfCFTA.
• Partnered with United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to produce local MSME survey reports for 11 SADC countries.

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