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The shared commitment to regional cooperation and integration, environmental stewardship, and sustainable development as espoused under the SADC Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) should put communities at the forefront, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
President Mnangagwa made the remarks at the close of the historic inaugural SADC Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA) Conference and Summit which ended yesterday in Harare on 23 May 2025.
He said SADC has come to better appreciate the importance of multi-sectoral cooperation, policy harmonisation, and fostering a culture of shared ownership for the conservation of its rich heritage and natural resource endowments.
“Our strategies must continue to place communities at the centre of every initiative, not only as stakeholders but as co-creators and primary beneficiaries. When we empower local communities, we capacitate the very ecosystems, which we seek to protect.
“Our people should reap and enjoy the benefits of the ongoing conservation efforts. The Summit has also amplified the importance of strengthening the SADC Law Enforcement and Anti- anti-poaching strategy. As such, cross-border cooperation should continue to deliver tangible results in the protection of our wildlife heritage.
“As we return to our respective countries, let us carry forward the momentum built here, towards developing an integrated, modern, industrialised and prosperous SADC we all want. Let us provide transformational leadership that is grounded in the lived realities of our people. May this Summit serve as a catalyst for a renewed era of action, guided by the SADC TFCA Programme 2023–2033, and grounded in the principles of inclusivity, solidarity, sustainability, and sovereignty. This is more so as we will be celebrating Africa Day in two days,” he said.
Stakeholders at the Summit shared knowledge, reviewed collective progress, identified the challenges faced and reflected on the journey of our TFCA Programme.
President Mnangagwa said for the past 25 years, the SADC TFCA initiative has stood as a testament to the regional bloc’s unity, solidarity, resilience and commitment to sustainable development.
From its humble beginnings with the establishment of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to the broad network of transboundary ecosystems which we now celebrate, the Summit has demonstrated that the shared vision is not only alive but thriving.
This Summit was a celebration of what has been achieved and a bold statement of what stakeholders still must accomplish. It has reaffirmed the critical role of Transfrontier Conservation Areas as powerful instruments for regional integration, resilience, inclusive growth, and peace-building.
The SADC region now boasts 13 functional Transfrontier Conservation Areas and 5 at the conceptual stage, spanning both terrestrial and marine environments, covering 7% of SADC’s surface area, with each at varying stages of development. The region has come a long way in sustainable environmental management.
In his address, the SADC Executive Secretary, HE Mr. Elias Mpedi Magosi, said the Summit brought together over 500 delegates and more than 30 exhibitors, including representatives from SADC Member States, International Cooperating Partners, Non-Governmental Organisations, Academia, Traditional and community leaders, and wildlife conservation experts, and set the stage for celebrations of the remarkable feats attained in the last 25 years to advance regional conservation that has been driven largely by the TFCAs.
“The conference underscored the need for innovative and sustainable financing mechanisms to ensure the long-term sustainability of TFCAs, further stressing that regional conservation initiatives must remain people-centred, guaranteeing social justice, equity, and socio-economic benefits for communities.TFCAs are indeed beacons of regional cooperation and sustainable development, and ought to be embraced and promoted to reap the benefits that they usher to Member States,” he said.
