Botswana—Technical Assistance to the SADC Secretariat: Institutional Capacity Development Programme

The Southern African Development Community (SADC)—comprised of 16 countries—is led by an Executive Secretariat based in Gaborone, Botswana, that fosters regional integration, boosts economic growth, and ensures stability among its member states.

DAI built the institutional capacity of the SADC Secretariat, helping the regional governing body to modernize and enhance its internal administrative and management processes. As a result, the Secretariat is able to more effectively implement its own programmes for members as well as partner with international donor agencies, positioning the organisation to better fulfill its mandate of promoting sustainable development throughout the region.

Sample Activities

• Implement executive-led change management of all directorates and units, including collecting baseline data on organisational health and developing a roadmap for change management.
• Strengthen the capacity of the Secretariat to manage SADC programmes and monitor their progress.
• Bring internal systems into compliance with internationally accepted practices in accounting, procurement, audit, and human resources management.

Select Results

• Trained the Secretariat on revised procurement policies, supply chain management, and contract administration.
• Prepared the SADC to work directly with international donors to manage projects.
• Teamed with SADC directorates to improve evaluation guidelines and build capacity among personnel responsible for monitoring and planning.
• Developed program dashboards to track projects and created statistical yearbooks to support data-driven planning.
• Enabled the SADC to better manage members’ obligations.
• Aligned human resources policies—including job descriptions, hiring standards, and performance reviews—to support the SADC vision and values.