Highlights from the 2025 Southern African DRM Conference

From November 3 - 5, 2025, over 155 practitioners, decision-makers, technologists, and innovators gathered at Radisson Blu Hotel in Durban, South Africa, for the fourth Southern African Disaster Risk Management Conference and Workshop Series. Co-organized by QP Drone Tech, South Africa Flying Labs, WeRobotics, and Esri — with the support of our sponsors — the conference served once more as a region-wide space dedicated to strengthening disaster risk management through collaboration.

Over three days, participants from national and local governments, civil society, international organizations, academia, technology providers, and the private sector explored how drones, AI, and GIS can support and reshape disaster risk management across Southern Africa. 

The result was a spirited mix of keynote speeches, technical presentations, panel discussions, exhibitions, hands-on workshops, demonstrations, and co-creation sessions — all of which took a step and then another towards more robust communities of practice that build more responsive and resilient disaster management systems.

The Program

The conference was kicked off by the Minister of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Hon. Velenkosini Hlabisa. Setting the tone for the entire event, he ended his speech by saying, “Let's remember: technology is a tool. It's people who build solutions.” We could not agree more.

The first two days unfolded in conversation. Discussions explored everything from aligning the G20 Agenda with Southern Africa’s disaster risk reduction targets to sustainable cities and how DRM strategies must look after everyone if they are to be effective. On the final day the rhythm shifted towards a more hands-on experience, with participants choosing between a GIS workshop and technical drone demonstrations, both complemented by a co-creation session on the value of geospatial data. 

Our Key Takeaways

A refrain that rang clear across the sessions was that the SADC region stands at a pivotal moment on the path to disaster resilience. Stakeholders emphasized the importance of acting decisively to adopt drones, and geospatial tools as core enablers of resilience and no longer as optional add-ons. The lived experiences of local experts show us again and again how these technologies support the situational awareness, planning, coordination, and community engagement of those on the ground and those making policy decisions.

Disaster management that excludes is disaster management that fails, and the conference offered this reminder often. Participants stressed that disaster resilience cannot be achieved without centering the needs and voices of vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, women, and the elderly. Inclusion must move from principle to practice across all levels of decision-making and implementation. It must be present in how data is collected, in who is consulted, in how warnings are issued, and in whose safety is prioritized when resources are scarce. And alongside this was a push towards anticipatory rather than reactionary approaches, towards planning that is guided by foresight rather than regret. 

Localization too remains a critical cornerstone of effective DRM. To matter, tools must be accessible, understandable, and guided by the knowledge systems that already exist within local communities. This calls for deeper collaboration with Civil Aviation Authorities as well as the elevation of indigenous innovation and youth participation in our collective work of building long-term, sustainable pathways to disaster resilience.

The conversation also turned to the question of investment, of what we fund and when. As floods, droughts, and storms grow more frequent and more severe, participants put forth that it is no longer enough to finance response alone. What is required now is a paradigm shift from paying for aftermath to investing in preparedness. It is time to integrate risk financing into national budgets, to prioritize funding that can reach communities directly and enable locally driven innovation, and to explore blended finance models that bring together public, private, and donor capital in ways that reflect the shared nature of risk. The consensus was clear: the future of disaster risk management is not about just responding faster but also funding smarter.

Collaboration, rather than competition, was named as the condition for meaningful innovation. As one speaker noted, “Disasters do not stop at borders, and response should not stop at borders.” Risk travels — across rivers, roads, and political lines drawn on maps. To meet it, regional cooperation must do the same. What emerged was a vision of the SADC region not as a collection of isolated actors but as an interconnected whole, learning together, responding together, and safeguarding one another. 

The conference reaffirmed the urgency — and the opportunity — of leveraging emerging technologies to protect and empower local communities. Our discussions converged on a powerful vision: technology serves us only when it is localized, inclusive, and sustainably financed through collective effort. 

The co-organizing team extends our warmest gratitude to the sponsors, partners, and of course to all who attended, for making this year’s gathering a success. We left Durban energized by our shared commitment to a resilient future — led by local experts in collaboration with global partners and supported by drones, AI, and GIS technologies.