The Permanent Representative of the African Union Southern Africa Regional Office (AU-SARO), Ambassador Hild Suka Mafudze, held a bilateral meeting with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Executive Secretary, H.E. Mr. Elias Magosi, on the sidelines of the Joint Meeting of SADC Ministers of Health and Ministers of Finance, which was held in Harare, Zimbabwe, from 30 June to 3 July 2026.
Ambassador Mafudze introduced herself by outlining her role and professional background, highlighting her extensive experience as a political diplomat, having served in several diplomatic missions representing Zimbabwe in Sudan, South Sudan, and Malawi. Most recently, she served as Permanent Representative to the AU in Washington, D.C. in the United States of America before assuming her current position at AU-SARO in Lilongwe, Malawi. She explained that her role involves spearheading the coordination of African Union programmes within the Southern African region in close collaboration with SADC and COMESA. She expressed her anticipation of presenting her credentials to SADC while she will be presenting her credentials to COMESA on 9th July 2026.
The Ambassador thanked SADC for inviting her to participate in the Joint Meeting of SADC Ministers of Health and Ministers of Finance, noting that the meeting was of great importance to AU-SARO. She also congratulated H.E. Mr. Elias Magosi on the successful organisation of the meetings. Ambassador Mafudze underscored the significance of the commitments made by the SADC Ministers on Universal Health Coverage, which align with the aspirations of the African Union Agenda 2063, the SADC Vision 2050, and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (2020–2030). She emphasized that the African Union recognizes health financing as a core function of health systems that can accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage by improving effective service delivery and strengthening financial protection.
The SADC Executive Secretary, H.E. Mr. Elias Magosi, congratulated Ambassador Mafudze on her appointment and expressed his eagerness to work closely with her, recognizing the critical role AU-SARO plays in advancing African Union programmes at the regional level. He noted that Ambassador Mafudze’s appointment came at an important time, as SADC currently chairs the Inter-Regional Economic Communities (Inter-REC) Platform and is working with the African Union to strengthen collaboration with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). He observed that several continental instruments, particularly relevant protocols, remain underutilized despite their importance. He further noted that the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, is committed to strengthening collaboration with the RECs on these matters.
The Executive Secretary affirmed that SADC looks forward to working with AU-SARO in identifying innovative solutions to improve coordination and alignment of continental and regional policies and strategies. He emphasized the importance of aligning continental policies with regional priorities, particularly in the areas of peace and security, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and other strategic initiatives. He added that countries experiencing insecurity could benefit from lessons learned by other Member States that have successfully addressed similar peace and security challenges through regional integration.
Both parties agreed that the discussions held during the Joint Meeting of SADC Ministers of Health and Ministers of Finance were timely and important, particularly as SADC looks to the African Union to address several outstanding health-related issues affecting Member States. They further agreed that close collaboration between AU-SARO and regional institutions is essential to enhance policy harmonization and regional integration.
In concluding the meeting, Ambassador Mafudze assured the Executive Secretary of her commitment to bringing the issues discussed to the attention of the African Union and to strengthening cooperation between AU-SARO and SADC. The SADC Executive Secretary, in turn, assured the Ambassador that she would receive formal communication inviting her to present her Letters of Credence once the SADC statutory meetings for the year had concluded. The meeting concluded with both dignitaries wishing one another safe travels back to their respective duty stations.
The AU-SARO is a representational Office under the Office of the African Union Commission. Its mandate is to popularize and promote African Union Programmes and aspirations of Agenda 2063, while fostering and and maintaining constructive and productive relationships between the African Union (AU) and Member States in Southern African, and Regional Economic Communities particularly SADC and COMESA. The AU-SARO is based in Lilongwe, Malawi.
