The Southern African Development Community (SADC) officially took ownership of its headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana, on December 13, 2024. SADC Chairperson and Zimbabwean President Dr. Emmerson Mnangagwa, alongside Botswana’s President Advocate Duma Boko, led the ceremony as Bongwe Investments Proprietary Limited handed over the completed structure.
The building, known as SADC House, was delivered under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement involving SADC, the Government of Botswana as guarantor, and Bongwe Investments. The partnership, initiated in August 2009, concluded on December 11, 2024.
Mrs. Neo Bogatsu, a board member of Bongwe Investments, presented the building on behalf of the private partner. Dr. Mnangagwa expressed gratitude to Botswana for donating the land and fostering a productive environment for the project. He also praised Bongwe Investments for their role in completing the project and highlighted the headquarters as a symbol of regional unity and shared aspirations.
President Boko thanked SADC leaders for entrusting Botswana with hosting the headquarters. He emphasized the building’s role as a representation of regional achievements and future goals, urging member states to continue working together to address challenges and pursue collective progress.
Mrs. Bogatsu, speaking on behalf of Bongwe Investments, commended the PPP model for delivering essential infrastructure and urged SADC nations to adopt similar initiatives to stimulate development and enhance service delivery.
The decision to build the headquarters in Botswana originated at a SADC Council of Ministers meeting in Angola in 2003. Botswana’s government provided a plot in Gaborone’s central business district for the project, which has now become a tangible representation of regional cooperation.
