Harare, (New Ziana) — The Southern African Development Community (SADC) will convene a high-level Cluster Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Transport, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Information and Meteorology in Bulawayo from Monday to Friday next week, to chart the future of infrastructure, connectivity and sustainable development across the region.
In a statement, the regional body said the meeting will be hosted by the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, the Ministry of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, and the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, and is expected to attract Ministers and senior policymakers from across SADC Member States.
“The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat will convene the Cluster Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Transport, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Information and Meteorology from 22 to 26 June 2026 in Bulawayo, Republic of Zimbabwe,” he said.
The meeting will be chaired by Barbara Creecy in her capacity as Chairperson of the SADC Committee of Ministers for Transport, ICT, Information and Meteorology.
SADC said the meeting comes at a time when regional cooperation and integrated infrastructure development are increasingly viewed as central to unlocking economic growth, improving trade efficiency and strengthening resilience against climate-related and economic challenges.
“This high-level engagement will bring together Ministers and Senior Policymakers from SADC Member States to deliberate on strategic priorities aimed at strengthening regional infrastructure, enhancing connectivity and promoting sustainable development across the region.
These engagements are designed to facilitate coordinated policy dialogue, strengthen regional cooperation and advance harmonised programs in transport, communications, ICT, meteorology and information services,” it said.
Among the key agenda items will be enhancing regional transport corridors and infrastructure development, promoting digital transformation and ICT integration, strengthening climate resilience and meteorological services, and advancing innovation through emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), in infrastructure development.
The outcomes are expected to support more efficient regional systems, improved trade facilitation and stronger adaptive capacity among Member States as the region responds to evolving economic and environmental pressures.
Ahead of the Ministerial deliberations, senior technical officials will meet from June 22 to 24 during the Joint Meeting of SADC Senior Officials Responsible for Transport, ICT, Information and Meteorology to prepare recommendations and policy proposals.
A major highlight of the program will be the High-Level Ministerial Roundtable Dialogue scheduled for June 25 under the theme of liberalised skies and AI-enabled climate-resilient infrastructure as a means of accelerating regional integration and sustainable development in SADC.
The Bulawayo meeting is expected to reinforce SADC’s long-standing commitment to coordinated infrastructure planning and policy alignment, positioning the region to capitalise on innovation, while strengthening economic and social connectivity.
New Ziana
