Dr. Patrice Kandolo Kabeya is a leading water governance and development expert with extensive experience in policy, programme development, and transboundary water resource management in Southern Africa. He currently serves as the Senior Programme Officer – Water at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat, where he spearheads strategic initiatives related to the development, coordination, and implementation of regional water programmes.

Dr. Kabeya holds a PhD in Economics and International Development from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom. His academic background includes teaching roles in economics, statistics, and development studies at institutions in the UK and Albania, including the University of Bradford, Leeds Beckett University, and Epoka University.

At SADC, Dr. Kabeya leads key interventions focused on regional water infrastructure, the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus, climate resilience, and institutional strengthening. He is passionate about integrating economic analysis into water investment planning and advancing sustainable and inclusive water governance.

Dr. Kabeya also chairs the SADC Groundwater Management Institute (GMI) and the SADC Regional Fund for Water Infrastructure and Basic Sanitation, and serves on the board of WaterNet, a regional network of academic and research institutions focused on capacity building in integrated water resources management (IWRM).

A frequent contributor to international water dialogues and Nexus-focused development platforms, Dr. Kabeya is deeply committed to fostering regional cooperation, empowering youth and stakeholders, and promoting gender-sensitive policies in the water sector