The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a regional economic community comprising 16 Member States namely Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

SADC region comprises 380 million inhabitants that is 26% of Africa total population. Almost half of the population (46%) is being located in urban areas. The regional GDP per capita almost doubled in 20 years (period 2000-2021, USD current), and increased at an average rate of 4.35% per annum. 51% of the population is below 20 years old while the bulk of the workforce (20-49 years old) represents 40% of the total population. Governments spending on education was estimated at around 5% of GDP in 2020 (14 Member States) as opposed to 3.44% on average in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Attracting FDI and intra SADC investment has been placed at the core of the SADC developmental integration agenda. SADC recognizes that to improve the levels of investment in the region there is a need for creating a favourable investment climate that is responsive to the needs of investors and private sector whilst remaining competitive. Several strategies, policies and reforms have been made to ensure a conducive investment/business climate.