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African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) agreed in 1980 to strengthen
the transport, communication and energy systems in the region in order to reduce depend-
ence “particularly but not only” on then apartheid South Africa. They noted that “without
establishment of an adequate regional transport and communication system, other areas
of cooperation become impractical.” In this regard, infrastructure development has been
a priority for SADC as it supports all sectors of development.
During the period 1980 to 2005, infrastructure development was guided by the Lu-
saka Programme of Action approved at the inaugural meeting of SADCC in April 1980.
Noting the importance of infrastructure to the regional integration agenda, SADC leaders
convened a special session on infrastructure development during the 27th SADC Summit
in Lusaka, Zambia in 2007. This gave impetus to the process that culminated in the ap-
proval of a regional infrastructure master plan by the 32nd SADC Summit in 2012.

Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan
The SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP) covers the period
2012-2027 and prioritises development of infrastructure in six sectors – Transport, Tour-
ism, Water, Energy, Information and Communication Technologies, and Meteorology. Im-
plementation of the RIDMP is being done in three phases, covering the Short Term Action
Plan (STAP) 2012-2017, the Medium Term Action Plan that runs up to 2022, and the
Long Term Action Plan to be implemented up to 2027. However, the findings of a study
commissioned by the SADC Secretariat in 2019 show that the implementation of most
STAP projects is behind schedule.
Centres of Excellence have been developed to promote investments in modern re- 109
gional infrastructure. Centres already established are in renewable energy and energy ef-
ficiency; groundwater management; and climate services. Steps are in progress towards
the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for the Aviation sub-sector.