Botswana’s President Duma Boko has signed two key Southern African Development Community (SADC) agreements aimed at making the bloc’s long‑delayed Regional Development Fund (RDF) operational and strengthening the region’s finance‑and‑investment framework.

The agreements include the instrument to operationalize the RDF – established in 2016 but still not fully functional – and an amendment to the SADC Protocol on Finance and Investment.

Boko said Botswana’s signing reflected its commitment to strengthening regional mechanisms and urged remaining member states to follow suit.

Botswana becomes the 10th member state to sign the RDF agreement although only Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe have ratified it.

The RDF was created under a SADC Treaty provision to pool resources, attract investment and finance transformative regional projects.

Its operationalization has stalled for years due to slow member‑state uptake despite the region facing a substantial infrastructure financing gap.

The next phase involves establishing governance structures, policies and procedures, and mobilizing seed capital from member states, development banks and donors.

The Agreement to Amend the SADC Protocol on Finance and Investment to incorporate measures aligned with Financial Action Task Force standards, including provisions to combat terrorism financing and proliferation financing.

The protocol aims to harmonize financial and investment policies across the region and prevent destabilizing regulatory divergence.