With SADC facing a staggering US$402 billion annual investment gap, the CEO emphasized that while the challenge is significant, it is not insurmountable. He outlined bold, practical steps that Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) must take to mobilize resources and accelerate progress:

Leverage blended finance and risk-sharing mechanisms to crowd in private capital

Fast-track project preparation, especially for cross-border and climate-resilient infrastructure

Mainstream climate finance into infrastructure and industrial development initiatives

At SADC-DFRC, we are actively investing in regional platforms and technical capacity to help DFIs structure investment-ready projects that are bankable, climate-smart, and future-proof.

The CEO also addressed a critical gap, the absence of a dedicated regional DFI. This gap limits our ability to finance large-scale, transnational projects and respond effectively to regional priorities such as energy, food security, and trade logistics.

Encouragingly, there is growing consensus among national DFIs that a Regional Development Finance Institution is urgently needed. Through the DFRC, we are leading efforts to explore its establishment, an institution that would be owned by DFIs in the region, mobilize finance at scale, and act as a catalyst for the SADC RISDP and Agenda 2063.

Maipelo gave an overview of SADC-DFRC’s role in strengthening the institutional capabilities of DFIs through targeted capacity building programmes, technical assistance, and peer learning, a core pillar of our support for inclusive and sustainable development across the region.

Together, their insights reinforced the message that regional challenges require regional solutions, and the time to act is now.