Southern African Development Community - wikipedia Southern African Development Community Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) Communauté de développement d'Afrique australe ( French ) Comunidade para o Desenvolvimento da África Austral ( Portuguese ) Flag Logo Motto : `` Towards a Common Future '' Anthem : SADC Anthem Map of Africa indicating SADC ( light green ) and SADC+ SACU ( dark green ) members. Headquarters Gaborone, Botswana Working languages English French Portuguese Type Intergovernmental Membership 16 states Angola Botswana Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Swaziland Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe Leaders Summit Chairperson Jacob Zuma Council Chairperson Maite Nkoana - Mashabane SADC PF Chairperson Abdool Ameen Tribunal President Ariranga Pillay Executive Secretary Stergomena Tax Legislature SADC Parliamentary Forum Establishment as SADCC 1 April 1980 as SADC 17 August 1992 Area Total 9,882,959 km ( 3,815,832 sq mi ) Population Estimate 277 million GDP ( PPP ) 2013 estimate Total US $ 1,193 billion Per capita 4,309 Time zone ( UTC + 1 to + 4 ) Website www.sadc.int The Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio - economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 16 southern African states. Contents 1 Member states 2 History 3 Protocols 4 SADC FTA 5 Challenges facing member countries 6 Structure and decision - making procedures 7 Leaders 7.1 Chairperson 7.2 Executive Secretaries 8 Comparison with other regional blocs 9 Timeline 9.1 2007 9.2 2008 9.3 2014 10 See also 11 References 12 Further reading 13 External links Member states African Union This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the African Union Institutions Casablanca Group Union of African States Organisation of African Unity African Economic Community African Unification Front Executive Assembly Chairperson Commission Chairperson Conference and Events Peace & Sec. Pol. Affairs Infra. & Energy Soc. Affairs HR, Sci., & Tech. Trade and Industry Rural Econ. & Agri. Economic Legal Counsel Executive Council Rep. Committee Legislature Pan-African Parliament President Bureau Secretariat List of members Permanent Committees Rural Econ., Agri., Resources, Environ. Monetary & Financial Trade, Customs, & Immigration Cooperation, IR, & Conflict Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science, & Tech. Health, Labour, & Social Educ., Culture, Tourism, & HR Gender, Family, Youth, Disabilities Justice & Rights Rules, Privileges, & Discipline Judiciary Sirte Declaration Constitutive Act of the AU Law Charter on Rights Commission on Human and Peoples ' Rights Court of Justice Court on Human and Peoples ' Rights List of judges Advisory bodies Peace and Security Council Economic, Social, and Cultural Council Specialised Technical Committees Rural Econ., Agri. Monetary & Financial Trade, Customs, and Immigration Industry, Sci. & Tech., Energy, Natural Resources, & Environment Transport, Comm., Tourism Health, Labor, Social Edu., Culture, & Human Resources Financial bodies AEC Pillars ( Abuja Treaty ) CEN - SAD COMESA EAC ECCAS / CEEAC CEMAC ECOWAS UEMOA WAMZ IGAD SADC SACU AMU / UMA African Central Bank African Monetary Fund African Investment Bank New Partnership for Africa 's Development African Peer Review Mechanism Decentralised bodies Agencies of the AU Related topics Elections Enlargement Foreign relations Other countries Atlas SADC has 16 member states : Member states surface area and populations Country Area ( km ) Population Notes on Membership Angola 1 246 700 5 646 166 Botswana 582 000 2 024 904 Comoros 2 235 575 660 Democratic Republic of the Congo 2 344 858 29 916 800 Since 8 September 1997 Lesotho 30 355 1 741 406 Madagascar 587 295 12 238 914 membership reinstated on 30 January 2014 after an imposed suspension in 2009 Malawi 118 484 13 077 160 Mauritius 1 969 1 237 000 since 28 August 1995 Mozambique 801 590 20 252 223 Namibia 824 268 2 104 900 since 21 March 1990 ( since independence ) Seychelles 456 90 945 also previously a member of SADC from 8 September 1997 until 1 July 2004 then joined again in 2008. South Africa 1 221 037 56 000 000 since 30 August 1994 Swaziland 17 363 844 223 Tanzania 947 303 44 928 923 Zambia 752 612 13 046 508 Zimbabwe 390 757 12 973 808 Additionally, Burundi has requested to join. History The origins of SADC lie in the 1960s and 1970s, when the leaders of majority - ruled countries and national liberation movements coordinated their political, diplomatic and military struggles to bring an end to colonial and white - minority rule in southern Africa. The immediate forerunner of the political and security cooperation leg of today 's SADC was the informal Frontline States ( FLS ) grouping. It was formed in 1980. The Southern African Development Coordination Conference ( SADCC ) was the forerunner of the socio - economic cooperation leg of today 's SADC. The adoption by nine majority - ruled southern African countries of the Lusaka declaration on 1 April 1980 paved the way for the formal establishment of SADCC in April 1980. Membership of the FLS and SADCC sometimes differed. SADCC was transformed into SADC on 17 August 1992, with the adoption by the founding members of SADCC and newly independent Namibia of the Windhoek declaration and treaty establishing SADC. The 1992 SADC provided for both socio - economic cooperation and political and security cooperation. In reality, the FLS was dissolved only in 1994, after South Africa 's first democratic elections. Subsequent efforts to place political and security cooperation on a firm institutional footing under SADC 's umbrella failed. On 14 August 2001, the 1992 SADC treaty was amended. The amendment heralded the overhaul of the structures, policies and procedures of SADC, a process which is ongoing. One of the changes is that political and security cooperation is institutionalised in the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security ( OPDS ). One of the principal SADC bodies, it is subject to the oversight of the organisation 's supreme body, the Summit, which comprises the heads of state or government. The organisation holds its own multi-sport event in the form of the SADC Games, which was first held in 2004 in Maputo. Originally planned for an earlier date in Malawi and Lesotho, organisational issues led to abandonment of the plan and the SADC issuing a fine of $100,000 against Malawi. The first event in 2004 in Maputo resulted in over 1000 youths under - 20 from 10 countries taking part in a sports programme including athletics, football, netball, boxing and basketball. Protocols SADC has 27 legally binding protocols dealing with issues such as Defence, Development, Illicit Drug Trade, Free Trade and Movement of People. Protocol on Energy ( 1996 ) -- Intended to promote harmonious development of national energy policies. These development strategies set out tangible objectives for SADC and its Member States for infrastructure development in energy and its subsectors of woodfuel, petroleum and natural gas, electricity, goal, renewable energy, and energy efficiency and conservation. Protocol on Gender and Development -- Member states are urged to accelerate implementation efforts towards the achievements of concrete and transformative changes in the lives of women and girls in our region. H.E. President Mutharika also expressed concern on the escalating incidents of gender based violence in the region, especially those perpetrated against women and girls, and used this occasion to sign a commitment to end child marriages, as part of the AU campaign to end Child Marriages in Africa. SADC fta The SADC Free Trade Area was established in August 2008, after the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Trade in 2000 laid the foundation for its formation. Its original members were Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with Malawi and Seychelles joining later. Of the 15 SADC member states, only Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo are not yet participating. On Wednesday 22 October 2008, SADC joined with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the East African Community to form the African Free Trade Zone, including all members of each of the organizations. The leaders of the three trading blocs agreed to create a single free trade zone, the African Free Trade Zone, consisting of 26 countries with a GDP of an estimated $624 bn ( £ 382.9 bn ). It is hoped the African Free Trade Zone agreement would ease access to markets within the zone and end problems arising from the fact that several of the member countries belong to multiple groups. The African Free Trade Zone effective has been more than a hundred years in the making -- a trade zone spanning the whole African continent from Cape to Cairo and envisioned by Cecil Rhodes and other British imperialists in the 1890s. The only difference is that the African Free Trade Zone is the creation of independent African Countries. The idea is a free trade zone spanning the whole continent from the Cape to Cairo ( Cape Town in the Republic of South Africa to Cairo in Egypt ). In addition to eliminating duplicative membership and the problem member states also participating in other regional economic cooperation schemes and regional political and security cooperation schemes that may compete with or undermine each other, the African Free Trade Zone further aims to strengthen the bloc 's bargaining power when negotiating international deals. Challenges facing member countries SADC countries face many social, development, economic, trade, education, health, diplomatic, defence, security and political challenges. Some of these challenges can not be tackled effectively by individual members. Cattle diseases and organised - crime gangs know no boundaries. War in one country can suck in its neighbours and damage their economies. The sustainable development that trade could bring is threatened by the existence of different product standards and tariff regimes, weak customs infrastructure and bad roads. The socio - economic and political and security cooperation aims of SADC are equally wide - ranging, and intended to address the various common challenges. One significant challenge is that member states also participate in other regional economic cooperation schemes and regional political and security cooperation schemes that may compete with or undermine SADC 's aims. For example, South Africa and Botswana both belong to the Southern Africa Customs Union, Zambia is a part of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and Tanzania is a member of the East African Community. According to Human Rights Watch, `` SADC has been criticized for its laxity on making human rights compliance within its member states a priority ''. To promote regional corporation. To promote and defend peace and securuty in the region. To achieve economic development. To use resources of the region in a highly productive manner. Structure and decision - making procedures The organisation has six principal bodies : The Summit, comprising heads of state or heads of government Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Council of Ministers SADC Tribunal SADC National Committees ( SNCs ) Secretariat Except for the Tribunal ( based in Windhoek, Namibia ), SNCs and Secretariat, decision - making is by consensus. Leaders SADC headquarters building in Gaborone, Botswana. Chairperson Country Chairperson Term Zambia Levy Mwanawasa 2007 -- 2008 South Africa Kgalema Motlanthe 2008 -- 2009 Democratic Republic of the Congo Joseph Kabila 2009 -- 2010 Namibia Hage Geingob 2010 -- 2011 Angola Jose Eduardo dos Santos 2011 -- 2012 Mozambique Filipe Nyusi 2012 -- 2013 Malawi Joyce Banda Peter Mutharika 2013 -- 31 May 2014 31 May -- 17 August 2014 Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe 2014 -- 2016 Botswana Ian Khama 2015 -- 2016 Swaziland King Mswati III 2016 - 2017 South Africa Jacob Zuma 2017 -- present Executive Secretaries Country Name Term Namibia Kaire Mbuende 1994 -- 2000 Mauritius Prega Ramsamy 2000 -- 2001 ( Acting ) 2001 -- 2005 Mozambique Thomas Salomao 2005 -- 2013 Tanzania Stergomena Tax 2013 -- present Comparison with other regional blocs African Economic Community Pillars regional blocs ( REC ) Area ( km2 ) Population GDP ( PPP ) ( $ US ) Member states in millions per capita AEC 29,910,442 853,520,010 2,053,706 2,406 54 ECOWAS 5,112,903 300,000,000 1,322,452 3,888 15 ECCAS 6,667,421 121,245,958 175,928 1,451 11 SADC 9,882,959 233,944,179 737,335 3,152 15 EAC 2,440,409 169,519,847 411,813 2,429 6 COMESA 12,873,957 406,102,471 735,599 1,811 20 IGAD 5,233,604 187,969,775 225,049 1,197 7 Other African blocs Area ( km2 ) Population GDP ( PPP ) ( $ US ) Member states in millions per capita CEMAC 3,020,142 34,970,529 85,136 2,435 6 SACU 2,693,418 51,055,878 541,433 10,605 5 UEMOA 3,505,375 80,865,222 101,640 1,257 8 UMA 5,782,140 84,185,073 491,276 5,836 5 GAFTA 5,876,960 166,259,603 635,450 3,822 5 Economic bloc inside a pillar REC Proposed for pillar REC, but objecting participation Non-African members of GAFTA are excluded from figures smallest value among the blocs compared largest value among the blocs compared During 2004. Source : CIA World Factbook 2005, IMF WEO Database This box : view talk edit Timeline 2007 2 November -- rail link from Chipata to Mpika proposed, providing shorter access to sea at Nacala. 2008 12 April `` Confusion surrounds Mugabe 's appearance at crisis meeting '' 2014 12 August - Germany commits € 300m for development to SADC See also Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa ( COMESA ) East African Community ( EAC ) Economic Community of Central African States ( ECCAS ) Southern African Customs Union ( SACU ) Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ) List of trade blocs References Jump up ^ `` The Southern African unipolarity ''. Journal of Contemporary African Studies. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 30. Jump up ^ `` MEMBER STATES ''. Southern African Development Community. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 31. Jump up ^ United Nations Statistics Division ( PDF ) : 1 -- 2 http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2012/Table03.pdf. Retrieved 27 January 2017. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE 37th SUMMIT SADC OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OR TAMBO BUILDING, DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION ( DIRCO ) PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA '' ( PDF ). Southern African Development Community. 2017 - 08 - 20. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 31. Jump up ^ `` The Union of Comoros becomes the 16th SADC Member State ''. Southern African Development Community. 2017 - 08 - 20. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 31. Jump up ^ `` SADC Lifts Madagascar Suspension ''. SADC. Retrieved 30 January 2014. Jump up ^ Nakale, Albertina ( 2017 - 08 - 22 ). `` Southern Africa : Comoros Admitted Into SADC ''. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 31. Jump up ^ Organisation of SADC Games to cost a million dollars. Panapress ( 2003 - 05 - 11 ). Retrieved on 2014 - 09 - 15. Jump up ^ Valy, Bayano ( June 2004 ). The first Under - 20 Zone Six SADC Games. SADC Today, Vol. 7 No. 2 June 2004. Retrieved on 2014 - 09 - 15. Jump up ^ Southern African Development Community : : SADC Protocols. Sadc.int. Retrieved on 2013 - 08 - 09. Jump up ^ `` South African Development Community ''. www.sadc.int. Retrieved 3 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Southern African Development Community ''. www.sadc.int. Retrieved 3 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Free Trade Area ''. Southern African Development Community. Retrieved 14 Mar 2014. Jump up ^ `` Southern African Development Community Protocol on Trade '' ( PDF ). Southern African Development Community. 1996. Retrieved 14 Mar 2015. Jump up ^ Mbola, Bathandwa ( 18 Aug 2008 ). `` SADC launches free trade area ''. Southafrica.info - Brand South Africa portal website. Retrieved 14 Mar 2015. Jump up ^ `` Free Trade Area ''. Southern African Development Community. Retrieved 16 October 2017. Jump up ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7684903.stm Jump up ^ Deep Integration Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ Railways Africa -- EXTENDING BEYOND CHIPATA Jump up ^ Confusion surrounds Mugabe 's appearance at crisis meeting -- ABC News ( Australian Broadcasting Corporation ) Jump up ^ `` The Southern Times ''. Further reading Gabriël Oosthuizen, The Southern African Development Community : The organisation, its history, policies and prospects. Institute for Global Dialogue : Midrand, South Africa, 2006. John McCormick, The European Union : Politics and Policies. Westview Press : Boulder, Colorado, 2004. Ramsamy, Prega 2003 Global partnership for Africa. Presentation at the human rights conference on global partnerships for Africa 's development, Gaborone : SADC External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Southern African Development Community. Official website Agritrade website covering trade issues in southern Africa Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) Member states Angola Botswana Democratic Republic of the Congo Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Swaziland Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe Leaders Chairpersons Levy Mwanawasa Kgalema Motlanthe Secretaries - General Kaire Mbuende Prega Ramsamy Tomaz Salomão See also Southern African Development Coordination Conference ( forerunner ) Southern African Customs Union ( SACU ) Common Monetary Area ( CMA ) Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa ( COMESA ) Regional economic communities in Africa Continental African Union Organization of African Unity ( OAU ) African Economic Community ( AEC ) Inter-regional Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa ( COMESA ) Community of Sahel - Saharan States ( CEN / SAD ) Economic Community of Central African States ( ECCAS / EEAC ) Southern Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) Southern African Customs Union ( SACU ) Northern Arab Maghreb Union ( AMU ) Greater Arab Free Trade Area ( GAFTA ) Eastern East African Community ( EAC ) Intergovernmental Authority on Development ( IGAD ) Western Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ) West African Monetary Zone ( WAMZ ) West African Economic and Monetary Union ( UEMOA ) Central Economic Community of Central African States ( ECCAS ) Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa ( CEMAC ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southern_African_Development_Community&oldid=806049005 '' Categories : Organizations of Southern Africa Development in Africa International organizations of Africa Southern African Development Community United Nations General Assembly observers Organizations established in 1980 Hidden categories : Pages with citations lacking titles Pages with citations having bare URLs Use dmy dates from March 2012 Articles containing French - language text Articles containing Portuguese - language text Pages using infobox country or infobox former country with the symbol caption or type parameters Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Azərbaycanca Български Čeština ChiShona Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español Français 한국어 Hrvatski Italiano Kinyarwanda Kiswahili Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Sesotho sa Leboa Basa Sunda Suomi Svenska Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 19 October 2017, at 09 : 58. 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Question: how many countries are in the sadc region
Answer: 16