Zimbabwean economist gets top SADC post

Harare (New Ziana) -Renowned economist and public servant Dr Judith Kateera has been appointed the Southern African Development Community (SADC) deputy executive secretary for corporate affairs.

Dr Kateera assumes the top post after her appointment was approved by the 43rd SADC summit of Heads of State and Government held in Luanda, the Republic of Angola last month.

She takes over from Joseph Nourrice of the Seychelles, who will be leaving the SADC secretariat at the end of his tenure next month.

In a statement, the SADC secretariat said Dr Kateera will provide strategic leadership and oversight on the provision of support functions to the SADC Secretariat, including adoption of information and communication technologies to drive organisational effectiveness.

“In this role, she will also ensure that the human and financial resources managed by the SADC Secretariat are directed towards achieving organisational goals in line with the priorities set out in the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 and the SADC Vision 2050,” read part of the statement.

Dr Kateera has vast experience in public service, spanning over 35 years, serving the Government of Zimbabwe in various capacities, collaborating with the private sector, Development Financial Institutions (DFIs), the diplomatic community and grassroots people.

Among her key roles, Dr Kateera served as a Principal Director in charge of Finance and National Budget in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development of Zimbabwe and served as permanent secretary in various portfolios.

During her career in the public service, Dr Kateera was twice in the Office of the President and Cabinet with responsibility over Economic Research and Policy Analysis and also served as the first permanent secretary for Presidential Affairs, Monitoring and Implementation of Government Programs and permanent secretary for Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, before returning to Treasury as Policy Secretary.

She doubled as Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and the Government of Zimbabwe. From the National Treasury, she was seconded to the African Development Bank (AfDB) where she served as an Executive Director responsible for the Africa Group II constituency comprising Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe from 2019 to date.

Dr Kateera holds a PhD in Economics from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in the People’s Republic of China, a Master of Arts degree in Development Economics from the Centre for Development Economics (CDE) at Williams College, Massachusetts, United States of America and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics (Honors) from the University of Zimbabwe.

New Ziana