Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax

Southern African Development Community(SADC) has a new Executive Secretary, Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax with effect from September 01, 2013. Dr. Tax was appointed by the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Governement during its 33rd meeting in Lilongwe, Malawi, and was sworn in on August 18,2013.

A nationnal of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr Lawrence Tax is the 5th SADC Executive Secretary and is the first woman to ascend to the helm of the executive arm of SADC in the past 33 years of the regional body’s existence. Dr Tax brings with her a wealth of skills and competencies, gained from a proven academic and work track record of serving the Government and people of her country Tanzania in various capacities as a Civil Servant, a Researcher and a Consultant. Prior to being appointed SADC Executive Secretary, Dr. Tax held the position of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade Industries and Marketing, and the Ministry of East African Cooperation.

Academically, Dr Tax’s holds, amongst other qualifications, a Doctor of Philosophy in Development Economics, a Master of Philosophy in Policy Management and Development Economics obtained from the University Tsukuba, Japan, a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance obtained from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and a Diploma in Business Administration from the College of Business Administration, (CBE), in Dodoma also in the United Republic of Tanzania.Dr Tax took over from Dr Tomaz Augusto Salomão, a Mozambican national who held that position from September 01, 2005 until August 31, 2013 whose predecessors were from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mauritius respectively.

She is deputised by Ms Emilie Ayaza Mushobekwa, a national of the Democratic Republic of Congo who is the SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Finance & Administration (DES-FA), appointed and sworn in during the 30th Jubilee Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government held in Windhoek, Namibia in August 2010.Ms Mushobekwa is the first incumbent of that position following the amendment of the SADC Treaty in 2008 that created two SADC Deputy Executive Secretary positions.The other position of Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration (DES-RI), was held by Angolan national, Eng. Joao Samuel Caholo until his contract expired on September 16, 2013 and the recruitement process is now under way to fill it.

Southern African Developement Community