SANF 06 No 18
The southern African region is drawing up an infrastructure development master plan to revamp inter-state transport and communications networks.
The master plan aims to bring about acceptable standards of infrastructure that can facilitate easier movement of goods, services and people as well as other factors of production within the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
SADC director of infrastructure and services, Remmy Makumbe, said once implemented, the plan will see increased employment generation and market integration. He said sound infrastructure is necessary to reduce the cost of doing business. The ultimate objective is poverty reduction.
Within the framework of the regional Trade Protocol, SADC is steadily moving towards a free trade area in 2008. Trade liberalisation under the protocol is increasing the volume of business among SADC’s 14 member states.
Speaking at the SADC Council of Ministers meeting in Botswana, Makumbe said priority areas are rail and road infrastructure, establishment of a regional aviation control centre, as well as energy and water.
“Implementation of studies on the Upper Air Space Control Centre and Harmonisation of Road User Charges are at an advanced stage,” said Makumbe. This, he added, would facilitate the smooth flow of traffic across member states, thereby stimulating intra-SADC trade.
SADC will soon start a programme to facilitate relaxation of air traffic agreements on a bilateral basis between selected countries.
The region is also working with the European Community to create more liberalised air services between European and southern African airlines.
Makumbe said SADC has not set any timeframe for these developments, to avoid limiting member state efforts at ensuring that the infrastructure was developed to competitive levels.
The master plan takes into account the importance of infrastructure in promoting tourism, which accounted for 15.1 million tourist arrivals in 2005 compared to 12 million the previous year.
Regarding water infrastructure, the emphasis is on supply and sanitation, ensuring that the region attains the UN Millennium Development Goal on access to safe water by all citizens by 2015.
Makumbe added that a SADC Regional Water Infrastructure Development Programme has been established and “shall form the framework for the sourcing of financing of [water] projects”.
SADC is also pursuing a programme for inter-basin transfer of water from the Congo river to countries in the region.
