• SADC moves to strengthen emergency telecom systems amid rising climate disasters

• Over 80% of member states aligning disaster frameworks with the 2023 NETP model

• Climate shocks since 2019 exposed gaps, with disasters causing about $3.2B in annual losses

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is moving to strengthen emergency telecommunications systems across the region as climate shocks and disaster risks intensify.

The issue was discussed this week in Harare, where policymakers, telecom regulators and disaster management officials met from March 4 to March 6 at a regional workshop organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with SADC. The meeting focused on advancing the implementation of the Model National Emergency Telecommunication Plan (NETP), adopted in 2023 to guide member states in strengthening communication systems during disasters.

The framework provides guidelines for integrating mobile networks, broadband infrastructure, satellite communications and digital reporting platforms into national disaster response systems. The objective is to ensure that governments, emergency services and affected populations can exchange information quickly when extreme weather events disrupt conventional communications.

According to the ITU, more than 80% of SADC countries have begun aligning their national disaster management frameworks with the NETP model, reflecting growing recognition of the role telecommunications infrastructure plays in emergency coordination.

The initiative comes as southern Africa faces increasingly frequent climate-related disasters. Between 2019 and 2024, the region experienced a series of severe floods, cyclones and prolonged droughts that affected millions of people and exposed weaknesses in national early warning and response systems. An ITU assessment published in 2024 found that fewer than half of SADC countries previously had fully operational emergency telecommunications frameworks.

Beyond disaster response, stronger emergency communication systems are also viewed as critical for protecting economic infrastructure and regional trade corridors. According to ITU estimates, extreme weather events caused average annual economic losses of about $3.2 billion in southern Africa between 2019 and 2024, highlighting the need for more resilient communication networks to support crisis management and economic stability.

By Cynthia Ebot Takang