The future of sports in Southern Africa is on the verge of a significant transformation as a result of the African Union Sports Council Region 5's recent strategic plan review forum. This forum brought together 70 delegates from various Region 5 stakeholders in Africa and beyond. Their objective was to evaluate the performance of the 2018-2028 Strategic Plan and accelerate the achievement of its goals, particularly in light of global challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This mid-term review examined progress across all seven strategic priorities outlined in the 2018-2028 Strategic Plan. These priorities include capacity building, sports development, sports for development and peace, building a case for sport, finance, marketing and communication, and organizational effectiveness. Region 5's CEO, Stanley Mutoya of Zimbabwe, reported that they had achieved 61% of their strategic goals by the midpoint of the plan, with 29% still in progress, and 10% yet to be attained by 2023. Breaking it down further, the dashboard revealed that 66% of the capacity building goals had been achieved, 47% of the sports development goals, and 63% of the sports for development and peace goals. However, some areas, like building a case for sport, showed a need for improvement, with only 30% of the targeted goals achieved. One notable challenge was the goal of making sport a top budget priority at the national level by 2028, which still remains a distant objective. Among the prominent programs in Region 5 are the Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games, Sport Education and Accreditation Systems (SEAS), a museum, regional marathons, awards, medals of honor, and assistance programs for sports federations, along with initiatives aimed at promoting women in sports and enhancing sports opportunities for people with disabilities.