The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has challenged the media to move beyond reporting regional policies and agreements and show how integration is affecting the daily lives of citizens across the bloc.
SADC Head of Communication and Public Relations Barbara Lopi said stronger public understanding of regional cooperation would depend largely on whether people could see its practical benefits in areas such as trade, transport, agriculture, employment and business.
She made the remarks during a virtual meeting with communication and public relations stakeholders from SADC member states to discuss ways of improving public awareness of the bloc's programmes, opportunities and achievements.
Ms Lopi said journalists should focus more on the results of regional initiatives and explain what they mean for communities, rather than simply reporting decisions made by SADC institutions.
“Media has an important role in connecting regional programmes with the daily lives of citizens. Through your work, policies are understood, achievements become visible and opportunities reach citizens,” she said.
She said the approach was part of the implementation of the SADC Communication, Awareness and Visibility Strategy 2025–2030, which seeks to improve public understanding of the organisation's mandate and increase awareness of the benefits of regional cooperation.
Ms Lopi said, for example, coverage of regional trade should explain how trade arrangements affect small businesses, market access, jobs and household incomes.
Similarly, improvements along regional transport corridors and the introduction of One-Stop Border Posts should be reported from the perspective of traders, transporters and other people who use the facilities.
“Regional cooperation becomes more meaningful when citizens can see its impact on their lives. It becomes meaningful when farmers receive weather information and improve production, traders gain access to new markets and entrepreneurs expand their businesses,” she said.
She urged journalists to increase human-interest stories that demonstrate these changes through the experiences of ordinary people.
The call comes as SADC seeks to increase public understanding of its long-term regional development agenda, including SADC Vision 2050 and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030.
Ms Lopi said journalists and communication practitioners had an important role in explaining how such frameworks relate to issues including peace, sustainable development, economic opportunities and resilience.
She also urged editors to support reporting that examines both challenges and solutions, stressing that greater coverage of development should not come at the expense of critical or investigative journalism.
“It is not about ignoring challenges or avoiding critical reporting. It is about presenting a balanced, accurate and comprehensive picture of Africa’s development journey,” she said.
For community media, Ms Lopi called for the use of accessible language, including local languages where appropriate, to ensure regional issues reach audiences beyond major urban centres.
She said the SADC Secretariat was prepared to strengthen its engagement with journalists through timely access to information, publications, communication materials and experts on regional issues.
The Secretariat also intends to work with media organisations to develop and distribute regional content across different platforms in ways that are easier for citizens to understand.
Ms Lopi said effective reporting could help people not only understand what SADC does, but also identify and make use of opportunities arising from regional cooperation.
She said the meeting was expected to generate practical recommendations for improving communication, public awareness and the visibility of SADC while strengthening cooperation between the Secretariat and media organisations.
For citizens, she said, the ultimate measure of regional integration should be whether cooperation among member states translates into better opportunities, stronger economic links and improved livelihoods across the region.