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International Donors Conference
An international donors conference was held in Mozambique in November 1980 to present
these initiatives for financial support within the framework of the Lusaka Programme of
Action. The Government of Botswana was given responsibility to take immediate follow-
up action until appropriate institutions could be established, and to examine the institutional
mechanisms needed for the coordination of programmes.
1981-82 Creation of SADCC Institutions

SADCC institutions were formalised by an MOU on the Institutions of the Southern Af-
rican Development Coordination Conference, signed by Heads of State and Government
in July 1981 during the Summit held in Salisbury (now Harare), Zimbabwe. The Summit
endorsed institutional arrangements to provide an effective and flexible mechanism for re-
gional consultation and decisions:
✦ Summit Meetings
✦ Council of Ministers
✦ Commissions
✦ Standing Committee of Officials
✦ Secretariat.
It was agreed that the Secretariat would be operational from 1 July 1982, based in
Botswana and headed by an Executive Secretary to prepare plans and meetings, and ensure
continuity in deliberations. The Summit agreed to avoid creating a large bureaucracy in
favour of a system that placed responsibility for sectoral programmes on the governments
28 of Member States.
Annual Conferences with Development Agencies
The first Annual Conference with development agencies after the International Donors
Conference held in Mozambique in 1980 was hosted by Malawi in 1981, attended by the
representatives of 20 governments and 12 development agencies, further consolidating
SADCC’s relations with international cooperating partners and accelerating implementa-
tion of SADCC structures and programmes. These Annual Conferences continued and
each focused on a different thematic area. This was in response to the 1980 Lusaka Dec-
laration that called for “concerted action to secure international cooperation within the
framework of our strategy for economic liberation.”

SATCC established as first Subsidiary Organisation
The Convention for the Southern African Transport and Communications Commission
(SATCC) signed by Heads of State and Government at the 1981 Summit established SATCC
as the first subsidiary organisation, with a legal personality, its own Committee of Ministers,
and executive authority. The Commission, based in Maputo, was tasked with ensuring close
coordination among Member States in running the region’s transport systems.
1982-83 Transport Oversubscribed, SATCC seen as Effective Institution

The Summit in Botswana in July 1982 received a progress report on priority sectors, notably
Transport and Communications. Funds committed for this had exceeded pledges made at
the Maputo conference, and the Summit noted that the SATCC is now fully recognised as
a permanent and effective institution.

Executive Secretary
The first Executive Secretary was Ambassador Frederick Arthur Blumeris of Zimbabwe
(left), who served from October 1982 until his death in March 1984. He was replaced by
Dr Simba Makoni of Zimbabwe (right), who served from mid-1984 to December 1993.