WITH JUST over 12 months remaining before the SADC region can create its Free Trade Area, Member States remain confident that they can move a gear up to iron out outstanding impediments for the region to achieve set targets. Since 2000, SADC countries have been implementing a programme towards creating a Free Trade Area by 2008, a Customs Union by 2010, a Common Market by 2015 and a Monetary Union by 2018.
However, the last heads of state Summit, in the Lesotho capital of Maseru in August, raised concern about the pace at which SADC’s economic integration programme was being implemented.
