Swaziland
The Kingdom of Swaziland is a small, landlocked country covering a total area of 17,364 km² and is located in the southern part of Africa. Known as the Switzerland of Africa, Swaziland is comprised of magnificent mountain scenery with unique, ancient rock formations. Population projections indicate 1,435,613 people in the country. Learn More
His Majesty King Mswati III
King of Swaziland
“We have set for ourselves a National Vision which seeks to encourage every citizen to work hard so that the country can attain a developed status by 2022. We believe this vision is attainable through the hard work of our people.”
Angola
The Republic of Angola is the second largest country south of the Sahara after the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country contains six major geomorphological areas: coastal area, marginal mountain chains, the old tableland, Zaire basin and the basins of the Zambezi and Cubango. The population is estimated at 19,625,353. The official language is Portuguese, with about 100 different ethnic languages.
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H.E. José Eduardo dos Santos
President
“The guarantee of social peace is to build an inclusive society and welfare in which governments allow freedom of expression, creativity and action within the framework of law, and promote participatory democracy and regular dialogue with the social partners and other bodies representing civil society to ensure the participation of citizens in solving national problems.”
Botswana
Botswana is a completely landlocked country in the centre of Southern Africa. One of Southern Africa’s longest rivers, the Okavango, flows into the northwestern part of the country forming the UNESCO World Heritage Site Okavango Delta. Botswana shares borders with South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The total population size is 2,182,719.
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H.E. Seretse Khama Ian Khama
President
“The more industrially-advanced economies within us can assist the least-developed and small, vulnerable economies to leverage on them to also increase their productive capacities. In turn, this will lead to jobs being created and thus reducing labour mobility and concentration in one or two economies in the region.”
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo is geographically the largest state in Southern and Central Africa. It is situated at the heart of Africa, covering an area of 2,344,858 km². The DRC has 37 km of coastline and a geography characterised by a vast central basin low-lying plateau rising to volcanoes and mountains in the east. The population is estimated at 79,375,136.
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H.E. Joseph Kabila
President
“Over the last decade, our trade has increased by 600%. These exchanges could grow even more if we consolidate these achievements and complete the ongoing reforms.”
Lesotho
The Kingdom of Lesotho is situated in the southeastern region of Southern Africa, covering an area of 30,355 km². Lesotho is the only country in the world to have all its entire territory located at more than 1,000 metres above sea level. The population of Lesotho is about 1,947,701. The vast majority of the population is Basotho with small groups of Europeans and Asians. Learn More
Hon. Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili
Prime Minister
“Since its inception, our organization has been a historic milestone and a beacon of hope reflecting the will and resolve of the leaders and peoples of our subcontinent to lay strong foundations for peace and stability, as well as the economic and social transformation of the region.”
Madagascar
The country of Madagascar is an island situated 400 km off the east coast of Africa, separated from the mainland by the Mozambique Channel. It is the fourth largest island in the world, stretching 1,580 km from north to south and 600 km from east to west, with a coastline of about 5,000 km. The population is estimated at 23,812,681 according to the latest census. Learn More
H.E. Hery Martial Rajaonarimampianina
President
“We must learn to better preserve our natural resources and optimally draw economic benefits from them. We must also more effectively distribute income and profits, build durable infrastructure, better prepare to limit the risk of disasters, and transform the stakes of climate change into development opportunities.”
Malawi
Malawi is a landlocked country located in southern central Africa along the western part of the Great Rift Valley of Africa. Covering a total area of 118,484 km², it stretches some 900 km north to south, and between 90 and 161 km east to west. Malawi has an estimated population of 17,964,697 and the main ethnic groups are the Chewa, Tumbuka, Yao and Ngoni. Learn More
H.E. Arthur Peter Mutharika
President
“Of particular concern is the urgent need to address power shortfalls in the region, and provision of trade related infrastructure, namely transport infrastructure, border facilitation measures and elimination of notorious non-tariff barriers.”
Mauritius
The Republic of Mauritius is situated in the southwest Indian Ocean, approximately 2,400 km from the southeast coast of Africa. The island is only 67 km in length and 46 km at its widest point, with a total land area of 2,040 km², owing its origins to submarine volcanic activity. The total population is approximately 1,339,827. English is the official language while French and Creole are widely spoken. Learn More
H.E. Sir Anerood Jugnauth
Prime Minister
“The tide of the World Order has now changed and Africa is rising resolutely towards a brighter future, in full exercise of its sovereign rights. It is poised to become a powerful magnet for investment, job creation and sustainable development.”
Mozambique
Mozambique lies on the east coast of Southern Africa, measuring a total of some 799,380 km² in area. The country’s extensive coastline stretches 2,515 km along the southeast and east coast of Africa and the total population is approximately 25,303,113. There are many different ethnic groups in Mozambique, the largest being the Makua-Lomwe, with others including the Shona and the Tsonga. Learn More
H.E. Filipe Nyusi
President
“Today our activity in SADC grants primacy to regional integration, sustained by the preservation of peace, security, regional stability and development.”
Namibia
Namibia is situated on Africa’s southwestern seaboard. Its neighbouring countries are Angola to the north, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the east, and South Africa to the south. The country is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The country covers 824,292 km² (almost four times the size of the UK and twice that of Germany) and has a population of approximately 2,212,307. Learn More
H.E. Hage Geingob
President
“Our people are free from the yoke of colonial rule and a strong democratic culture has been entrenched in our countries. Our economies have been stabilized and we have deepened economic integration through the adoption and implementation of various protocols. We can confidently say that democratic and macroeconomic architecture is firmly in place.”
Seychelles
The cosmopolitan Seychellois are a colourful and harmonious blend of different races, stemming from African, European and Asian roots. Seychelles’ population stands at 92,430 of which 78,000 live on Mahe, in particular around the capital Victoria, some 7,000 on Praslin and the remainder on La Digue and scattered among the rest of the islands. The country covers a total area of 455 km². Learn More
H.E. James Alix Michel
President
“Africa is seen as the continent of tomorrow, the continent of the future and I can say that the ocean is the new frontier. So we must all work hard in partnership to propel the African continent to play its role as the youngest and fastest-growing continent in the globalised world.”
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa occupies the southernmost part of the African continent stretching from the Limpopo River in the north to Cape Agulhas in the south. Covering an area of 1,219,090 km², the country shares borders with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe in the north, and with Swaziland and Mozambique in the north east. The population is approximately 53,675,563. Learn More
H.E. Jacob Zuma
President
“In order to build on the legacy of former President Nelson Mandela, we have to strengthen our efforts in enhancing the SADC Common Agenda and build a better life for the peoples of our region.”
Tanzania
Tanzania includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar—covering a total area of 947,300 km². The country encompasses a variety of physical features—from a narrow coastal belt with tropical beaches, it rises to an extensive plateau covered by savannah at about 1,000 metres above sea level. The total population is estimated at 51,045,882. Learn More
H.E. John Pombe Joseph Magufuli
President
"Tanzania will continue to be a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and continue cooperating closely with member states with which our relationship has a historical background of closeness. We will continue to believe in the African Union (AU) and the dream of our former statesmen who dreamt of combining the countries as a step towards uniting Africa continent.”
Zambia
Zambia is an entirely landlocked country covering an area of 752,618 km². Zambia sits on a gently undulating plateau, which is between 900 and 1,500 metres above sea level. This plateau is a mix of woodland and savannah regions interspersed with lakes, rivers, hills, swamps and lush plains. The population is approximately 15,066,266; mostly African, with some Asian and European minorities. Learn More
H.E. Edgar Lungu
President
“Our countries, if taken individually, cannot provide attractive markets and destinations for investments. We should therefore accelerate our integration efforts so as to accrue the expected benefits from our collective efforts.”
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe occupies 390,757 km² of land in south central Africa, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. It is bounded by Mozambique to the east, Zambia to the north and north west, South Africa to the south, and to the south west by Botswana. It lies wholly within the tropics and is part of the great plateau which traverses Africa. Zimbabwe has a population of 14,229,541. Learn More
H.E. Robert Mugabe
President
“In our endeavour to build a stable and prosperous SADC, we should always emulate the revolutionary spirit and principled stance of the Founding Fathers of our organisation. We should never forget that our people made huge sacrifices for us to become today the masters of our own destiny.”
Angola
Botswana
DR Congo
Lesotho
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Seychelles
South Africa
Swaziland
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
