By Brenda Mazhambe
HARARE, June 29, 2026 – Senior Treasury officials from across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) today officially opened deliberations in Harare, marking the commencement of the Joint Meeting of SADC Ministers of Finance and Ministers of Health, which runs from 29 June to 3 July 2026.
The opening session, attended by senior treasury officials from the 16-member regional bloc, sets the stage for ministerial engagements scheduled for 2-3 July 2026, where Ministers of Finance and Ministers of Health will jointly deliberate on sustainable health financing under the Africa Leadership Meeting (ALM) commitments on Investing in Health.
Hosted by the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe in collaboration with the SADC Secretariat and development partners, the biennial meeting is convened under the mandate of the African Union (AU) and SADC Heads of State and Government to strengthen regional cooperation in financing resilient health systems.
The week-long programme is expected to culminate in the adoption of the Ministerial Outcome Statement and the SADC Health Financing Strategic Action Framework, documents that will provide a coordinated regional roadmap for mobilising domestic resources and strengthening investment in healthcare across the SADC region.
The meeting comes at a time when African governments are placing renewed emphasis on increasing domestic investment in health, recognising that sustainable financing remains critical to achieving universal health coverage, strengthening pandemic preparedness and improving the wellbeing of citizens.
Senior Treasury officials are expected to review technical reports and formulate recommendations that will be submitted to Ministers of Finance and Ministers of Health later this week for policy consideration and adoption.
SADC, established in 1980, comprises 16 Member States and is mandated to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth, socio-economic development, deeper regional cooperation and integration, good governance, as well as durable peace and security.
The regional body states that its mission is “to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development through efficient, productive systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance and durable peace and security, so that the region emerges as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the world economy.”
The Harare meeting is expected to strengthen collaboration between finance and health sectors, recognising that sustainable investment in public health is fundamental to economic resilience, human capital development and the attainment of regional development aspirations.
