Zambia Takes the Chair Of SADC’s First Regional Cyber-Security Committee

Zambia has been appointed to lead the Southern African Development Community’s newly operational Regional Computer Incident Response Team Steering Committee, becoming the first member state to hold the chair.

The Zambia Cyber Security Agency confirmed that its Director General, Dr Schmidt Chintu, took up the role on 17 September 2026 and will serve for the 2026 to 2027 term.

The committee oversees SADC’s regional cyber-incident response team, which gives member states a shared platform for exchanging information on cyber threats and coordinating responses to attacks that cross national borders. The underlying regional cyber-security framework was adopted by SADC in 2019 and is now being brought into operation, with Zambia’s chairmanship marking the first stage of that rollout.

The Agency said the appointment would deepen Zambia’s cooperation with other SADC states, improve the flow of threat intelligence across the region and build the technical expertise needed to protect citizens, businesses and public institutions from cyber-attacks.

Dr Chintu will be responsible for steering the committee’s work on strengthening regional cooperation and creating a safer digital environment, which the Agency said would underpin public trust, commerce and broader economic development.

The chairmanship comes as digital services expand rapidly across Southern Africa, raising the stakes for governments and businesses that depend on secure networks. Cross-border cyber incidents, in particular, have highlighted the need for coordinated regional responses rather than purely national ones.

The Zambia Cyber Security Agency said it remained committed to working with regional partners to strengthen cyber defence and protect digital systems across SADC.