The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has appointed Eswatini trade and policy expert Treasure Thembisile Maphanga as its new Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, a position that will see her advancing the bloc’s economic integration agenda.
The appointment was approved by Heads of State and Government during an Extraordinary SADC Summit held virtually on Wednesday under the chairmanship of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Maphanga succeeds Angèle Makombo N’Tumba, whose four-year term as Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration ends on 26 October.
In announcing the appointment, regional leaders said Maphanga brings more than three decades of experience in policy formulation, trade negotiations, industrial development, digital economy initiatives, institutional reform, public-private partnerships, resource mobilisation and programme implementation.
A respected figure in African trade and development circles, Maphanga has built a career spanning continental and regional integration processes, with expertise in industrial policy, market integration, economic transformation and institutional development.
Her experience has seen her contribute to programmes aimed at strengthening trade competitiveness, enhancing regional value chains and promoting sustainable economic growth across Africa.
The Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration is one of the most strategic positions within the SADC Secretariat, providing oversight of programmes covering regional trade, industrialisation, infrastructure development, food security, social and human development, and broader economic cooperation among Member States.
Regional leaders said they were confident that Maphanga’s leadership and expertise would help accelerate implementation of priorities under the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030 and support the bloc’s vision of a more integrated, prosperous and resilient region.
The summit also elected Lesotho Prime Minister Samuel Matekane as deputy chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, completing the Organ Troika alongside current chairperson King Mswati III of Eswatini and outgoing chairperson Malawi President Peter Mutharika.
JN/APA