SANF 24 no 24 by SARDC Writers
The Southern African Development Community is steadily advancing its regional integration agenda but more needs to be done to ensure that member states honour their financial contributions.
The Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers, Dr Frederick Shava noted that the 16 member states have made tangible progress in key areas such as disaster risk management where there has been a three-percent drop in malaria incidence across the region since 2022.
“We could have done better… if we had honoured our financial commitments by remitting our annual member states and assessed contributions within the set timelines,” said Shava, who is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Zimbabwe.
He called on member states to meet their financial commitments on time to ensure that the incremental gains across all sectors translate into transformative, region-wide progress.
It is estimated that less than half of regional projects are presently funded by SADC member states while the balance comes from International Cooperating Partners (ICPs). This situation has compromised the ownership and sustainability of regional programmes.
To address the anomaly and ensure that member states take charge of their own destiny, the region is in the process of operationalising the SADC Regional Development Fund (RDF).
SADC Executive Secretary, Elias Magosi said the SADC Secretariat is working with the African Development Bank to identify options available to the region as it moves to operationalise the RDF.
“With support from the African Development Bank, we developed a Discussion Paper on the Regional Development Fund (RDF) which provides options and recommendations for the operationalisation of the Fund,” Magosi told the Council of Ministers.
He said the Committee of Ministers of Finance and Investment has directed permanent secretaries of ministries responsible for finance and investment issues in member states “to convene a dedicated session to deliberate on the Discussion Paper and provide concrete proposals to get this assignment to the finish line.”
He was confident that the process would be concluded over the coming year, noting that the targets could be delayed by the slow ratification by member states of the Agreement on the Operationalisation of the SADC Regional Development Fund.
“However, there is a caveat that threatens the achievement of this outcome – ratification of the Agreement on the operationalisation of the RDF. It has therefore become extremely urgent for Member States to honour their obligation and make sure that our efforts are not meaningless,” Magosi said.
He added: “Currently, the Republic of Angola is the only member state that has ratified the Agreement, while the Republic of Zimbabwe is at an advanced stage of ratification.”
He said Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have also “committed to ratify the Agreement very soon.”
The agreement was adopted during the 39th SADC Summit held in Tanzania in 2019.
SADC legal instruments only enter into force after at least two-thirds of the member states – or 11 countries – have deposited their certificates of ratification with the SADC Secretary in Botswana.
The RDF aims to provide a window for financing regional infrastructure development, industrialisation initiatives and other regional integration projects.
The initial authorised capital for the SADC RDF will be US$13 billion, with member states expected to hold a majority shareholding of 51 percent while 37 percent will be allocated to the private sector and 12 percent to ICPs.
Dr Shava, who took over the rotating Council of Ministers chair from Angolan External Relations Minister Téte António in Harare on 13 August, also noted that, despite the region’s “best efforts”, SADC’s regional integration agenda would remain a pipe dream in the absence of tangible peace.
“It is only fair to state that, despite our best efforts, more needs to be done. Our regional development agenda cannot be achieved when there is no peace and tranquillity within our region.”
He said Zimbabwe would during its chairmanship of SADC prioritise addressing food insecurity and restoring regional stability.
On the question of regional food security, António, who is the outgoing chairperson of the Council of Ministers, said the region launched a humanitarian appeal on 20 May 2024 following El Nino induced drought and floods that affected different parts of the region during the 2023/ rain season.
“We would like to urge our partners to continue to support this cause so that we can mitigate the impact of this humanitarian crisis and build a resilient region,” António said.
Outgoing SADC chairperson, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, who is the President of Angola launched the US$5.5 billion appeal which will support over 61 million people.
Turning to peace and security, António said the region remained largely peaceful except for the situation in northern Mozambique and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The region dispatched military missions to the two countries – the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) and the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) to address the volatile security situation in the two member states.
SAMIM, which was deployed three years ago, had achieved its objective of restoring peace and stability in Cabo Delgado province and withdrew from Mozambique on 4 July 2024.
On the other hand, SAMIDRC deployed in December 2023, with an offensive mission to end the hostile activities of armed groups operating in the eastern DRC.
The SADC Council of Ministers oversees the functioning and development of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and ensures that policies are properly implemented.
The Council consists of Ministers from each member state, usually from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economic Planning, or Finance. It meets twice a year in January or February and immediately prior to the Summit in August or September.
