SADC Formally Endorses Africa Forward Summit Nairobi Declaration Digital Transformation Agenda

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) issued a formal post-summit statement on May 14, 2026 confirming its participation in the Africa Forward Summit and endorsement of the Nairobi Declaration's digital transformation agenda. SADC's endorsement brings the combined population of its 16 member states — covering over 350 million people across Southern Africa — under the declaration's commitments on broadband investment, regional data centers, and digital skills training. SADC's statement particularly emphasized the data sovereignty elements of the declaration, noting that African nations need not choose between connectivity and data rights, and that the declaration's cloud and data center investment framework supports both goals. The endorsement signals a broadening of the Africa Forward Summit's political reach beyond the East African and West African nations initially at the negotiating table.