MISA Regional Director Dr Tabani Moyo has urged the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to review the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP 2020-2030) to adopt a media and communication development strategy as the most competitive way towards attainment of its strategic objectives.
Dr Moyo was speaking in Harare on 7 March 2025 at the Media Engagement for Accountability and Progress Tracking of SADC Integration and Related Initiatives.
“You need a competitive approach to this process. As for RISDP to succeed in achieving its strategic objectives, it must have at its core the media and communication development strategy, structured similarly to how the African Union incorporates media and communication development as part of achieving Agenda 2063.
“This will lead to a paradigm shift from the current view of media as a tool for information dissemination towards a more holistic approach that develops and supports media, enabling it to become a strategic partner in the quest to achieve shared strategic objectives,” said Dr Moyo.
He lamented that the architecture of the SADC Secretariat is unfortunately designed with a focus on viewing the media merely as a tool for the dissemination of information, rather than as a mutual stakeholder in the strategic process of fostering a united and prosperous region.
Dr Tabani Moyo speaking during the Media Engagement for Accountability and Progress Tracking of SADC Integration and Related Initiatives meeting held in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Dr Moyo argued this has resulted in a region alienated from itself, as it is not engaging in conversation with its own identity.
He asserted that once the media is repositioned to serve as a strategic partner in achieving objectives such as the RISDP, the region would be cohesive and at peace with itself by acting as a united force towards these aims.
“You approach SADC for media and communication development today, and you are referred to the PR Department, which is public-facing and aimed at propagating information. That way, media literally is a conveyor belt and nothing more.
“Consider the model of how UNESCO or the AU is structured. There is a public-facing PR section as well as a media and communication development thrust aimed at stakeholders that aids in mainstreaming the collective objectives of all stakeholders involved,” he said.
Dr Moyo reiterated calls for the review of the SADC Protocol on Information Culture and Sports, which came into effect in 2001, to reconfigure and adjust it in accordance with societal changes arising from social, technological, ecological, and other factors.
“The protocol is archaic given the changes that have occurred from 2001 to the present. At the African Union, there is an AI Strategy and Digital Compact, as well as at the UN.
“We need to keep with the times to stimulate a competitive environment for the region and support member states in evolving and leapfrogging.”
The engagement meeting with the media was organised with the aim of building media awareness and support to report on the regional body’s initiatives.
This is due to the fact that SADC member states, have made various commitments to enhance economic integration, governance, and sustainable development through frameworks such as:
- The Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP 2020-2030)– Guides regional integration and socio-economic development efforts.
- The SADC National Committees (SNCs) – Ensure country-level implementation of SADC programmes and policies.
- The Non-State Actors (NSA) Engagement Mechanism – Creates space for civil society, the private sector, and other actors to contribute to SADC decision-making.
However, these frameworks remain largely unknown or inaccessible to the public due to limited media coverage, lack of simplified content, and limited citizen engagement.
It is within this context the role of the media is located to enhance citizens’ effective appreciation of developments in the region.
Dr Moyo was one of the four panellists at the meeting jointly organised by the Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF), Southern Africa Trust (SAT) and Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD).
MISA Regional Communique
