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ECA Strengthens SADC Digital Knowledge Ecosystem Through Community of Practice Portal Training
Johannesburg, South Africa | July 2026 – The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), through its Knowledge Management Services Section (KMSS), has reinforced its strategic partnership with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) by delivering an advanced capacity-building programme to strengthen the management and sustainability of the SADC National Planning Entities (NPEs) and Network of Think Tanks (NTT) Community of Practice (CoP) Portal (https://cop.sadc.int/).
The training, held from 13–14 July 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa, equipped Platform Coordinators, Administrators, and Moderators with the knowledge and practical skills required to effectively manage and expand the regional digital knowledge platform, which supports evidence-informed policymaking and regional integration across Southern Africa.
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Advancing Regional Knowledge Collaboration
The Community of Practice Portal is a flagship knowledge management initiative developed by ECA under the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ECA and SADC. The initiative reflects the shared commitment of both institutions to strengthen the capacities of African Member States and Regional Economic Communities through digital innovation, knowledge sharing, and institutional collaboration.
The Portal was conceived following recommendations from meetings of the SADC National Planning Entities held in Lilongwe (2022) and Gaborone (2023), where Member States called for the revitalization of the NPEs network and the establishment of a collaborative digital platform to facilitate continuous dialogue, peer learning, and knowledge exchange in support of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030 and SADC Vision 2050.
Responding to SADC's request for technical assistance, ECA's Subregional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA) engaged the Knowledge Management Services Section to design and develop the platform. KMSS subsequently developed the Portal's technical architecture, governance framework, functional specifications, and implementation roadmap, which were formally endorsed by SADC National Planning Entities and ECA/SRO-SA during their meeting in Gaborone in July 2023.
Officially launched on 12 September 2025, the Portal has since evolved into a strategic regional knowledge platform connecting policymakers, national planning institutions, think tanks, researchers, and development practitioners. It provides a collaborative digital environment that promotes expert dialogue, knowledge networking, peer learning, and the co-creation of evidence-based solutions to advance sustainable development and regional integration.
Building Capacity to Maximize the Portal's Impact
Recognizing that technology alone cannot deliver transformation without strong institutional capacity, ECA organized a specialized training programme for the Portal's Moderators, Administrators, and Coordinators. Delivered by the Knowledge Management Engineering Unit of KMSS under ECA's Strategic Planning, Oversight, and Results Division (SPORD), the workshop focused on strengthening participants' technical and operational capabilities to administer the platform while fostering vibrant Communities of Practice across the thematic priorities of the RISDP.
Participants received comprehensive training on the Portal's architecture, governance model, user administration, moderation workflows, stakeholder engagement strategies, and the strategic role of digital knowledge platforms in strengthening regional policy coordination. The workshop also provided extensive practical sessions on identifying and onboarding subject-matter experts, creating and moderating thematic communities, facilitating knowledge exchange, capturing institutional knowledge, and developing strategic knowledge products—including executive summaries, policy briefs, policy notes, white papers, blogs, and analytical syntheses—to support evidence-informed decision-making across the region.
Beyond platform administration, the workshop introduced international best practices in Community of Practice management, digital collaboration, online facilitation, expert engagement, and knowledge networking to strengthen peer learning and collaboration among National Planning Entities and the Network of Think Tanks.
Strengthening Regional Knowledge Management
The training delivered significant outcomes that further position the Community of Practice Portal as a cornerstone of SADC's regional knowledge management ecosystem.Participants demonstrated an enhanced understanding of the Portal's architecture, governance framework, operational workflows, and stakeholder responsibilities, enabling them to more effectively coordinate and administer digital collaboration across Member States.
Through interactive demonstrations and role-based practical exercises, participants strengthened their ability to identify and engage experts, populate thematic communities, curate high-quality knowledge resources, facilitate online discussions, and produce policy-oriented knowledge products that contribute to informed policymaking and regional development.
The workshop also enhanced participants' understanding of knowledge management methodologies, moderation techniques, peer-learning approaches, and practical troubleshooting procedures, improving their capacity to sustain active and impactful Communities of Practice across the RISDP thematic pillars.
Importantly, the training provided a strategic forum for discussing the future evolution of the Portal. Participants explored opportunities to broaden participation, strengthen institutional ownership, enhance content quality, and position the platform as a sustainable regional.knowledge ecosystem that supports innovation, institutional learning, and the effective implementation of SADC's long-term development agenda.
Strong Endorsement as a Catalyst for Regional Collaboration, Research, and Policy Development
The workshop concluded with an evaluation session that provided participants an opportunity to reflect on their experience and share feedback on the portal. The responses were overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the platform’s potential to strengthen collaboration, knowledge exchange, and evidence-based policymaking across the SADC region.
Tunji Namaiko, moderator of the Peace, Security & Good Governance discussion forum, described the portal as “a very powerful and important tool” capable of mobilising experts from diverse fields to contribute to the regional research agenda and generate recommendations that SADC can advance towards implementation.
Echoing this sentiment, Hobby Simuchile, moderator of the Industrial Development & Market Integration forum, emphasised the platform’s strategic value, noting that it fills a longstanding gap within SADC. He remarked that, “For the first time, we have a product that I am very comfortable and happy with,” underscoring his confidence in the portal’s relevance and usability.
For Kelly Dambuza-Chifani, moderator of the Cross-Cutting Issues (Gender) forum, the portal represents more than just a digital platform. She highlighted its ability to foster inclusive engagement, stating that it is “bridging the gap, creating a safe space for discussion,” and praised it as a highly focused tool aligned with SADC’s priorities.
Similarly, Maggie Munthali, moderator of the Social and Human Capital Development, and Environment and Climate Change forums, described the platform as “an eye-opener” and expressed confidence in its transformative potential, noting that it would serve as a powerful mechanism for convening experts across a wide range of thematic areas and facilitating meaningful regional dialogue.
Meanwhile, Kudzaic Clara, moderator of the Infrastructure Development in Support of Regional Integration and Youth Empowerment forums, emphasised the portal’s significance as a research and knowledge management tool. While recognising its immense potential, Kudzaic also stressed the importance of equipping users with the necessary skills and training to fully leverage its capabilities and ensure widespread adoption and effective utilisation. Collectively, the feedback underscored broad confidence in the portal as a transformative platform for fostering expert engagement, strengthening regional collaboration, and supporting SADC’s development and policy objectives.
Looking Ahead
Participants concluded the workshop by adopting a series of recommendations aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability and continuous growth of the Community of Practice Portal.
To ECA, recommendations included the provision of continuous capacity-building programmes—both in-person and virtual—to support new users and strengthen long-term adoption of the platform. Participants also encouraged continued technical collaboration with the SADC Information Technology team to support system enhancement, maintenance, and future development.
To the SADC Secretariat, participants recommended expanding the Portal's user base to include researchers, academics, policy experts, and representatives from the public and private sectors. They also emphasized the importance of systematically onboarding experts from National Planning Entities and the Network of Think Tanks, enriching institutional profiles, regularly updating publications, and promoting the visibility of national planning knowledge products across the region.To strengthen governance and accountability, participants further recommended the formal designation of the Portal Coordinator, Administrators, and Moderators through official administrative appointments that recognize their expanded responsibilities in managing the regional knowledge platform.
Participants also expressed appreciation for the strategic partnership between ECA and SADC and recommended that the SADC Secretariat formally acknowledge ECA's technical leadership and support in developing the Community of Practice Portal. They recognized the platform as an important regional public good that is strengthening expert collaboration, knowledge sharing, peer learning, and evidence-informed policy dialogue in support of the implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030 and SADC Vision 2050.As SADC continues to advance regional integration and sustainable development, the Community of Practice Portal stands as a flagship example of how digital innovation, institutional collaboration, and knowledge management can accelerate collective action, strengthen policy coherence, and foster a vibrant regional community of experts committed to shaping Southern Africa's development future.