by Kizito Sikuka in Gaborone, Botswana – SANF 15 no 39
A detailed implementation plan of all recently approved regional programmes and strategies will soon be finalized to ensure that southern Africa is able to fully implement the agreed action plans.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Council of Ministers agreed ahead of the 35th Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government set for Gaborone, Botswana on 17-18 August that there was need to expedite the process of implementing the SADC Industrialization Strategy and Roadmap, and the Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) approved this year.
Both programmes were adopted by a SADC Extra-Ordinary Summit held in April in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The SADC Industrialization Strategy and Roadmap aims at accelerating the growing momentum towards strengthening the comparative and competitive advantages of the economies of the region, and is anchored on three pillars, industrialization, competitiveness and regional integration.
The strategy covers the period 2015-2063. For example, during the period 2015-2020, the region strives to progress from being factor-driven to being investment-driven.
From 2021-2050, the region will aim at advancing to be an innovation-driven economy, while the target for the period 2051-2063 is to achieve high levels of economic growth, competitiveness, incomes and employment.
The Revised RISDP is a five-year plan that guides the implementation of all SADC programmes from 2015 until 2020.
The plan has four priority areas, Industrial development and market integration, Infrastructure in support of regional integration, Peace and Security cooperation as a prerequisite for regional integration, as well as Special programmes of regional dimension.
Briefing journalists in Gaborone, incoming Council chairperson, Kenneth Matambo said while implementation of the two regional programmes has begun, there was need to put in place a detailed costing plan to ensure that the action plans are effectively implemented.
“To fully implement the industrialization strategy, the council has directed the SADC Secretariat to expeditiously finalize the development of a costed action plan on the industrialization strategy.”
Matambo, who is the Minister of Finance and Development Planning of Botswana, said it was important for “Member States, with support from the Secretariat, to review and finalize national indicative public coordination costs to implement the Revised RISDP by September 2015.”
“In this regard, the council has directed the SADC Secretariat in consultation with member states to finalize the indicative investment costs to implement the Revised RISDP for submission to the Council at its next meeting,” he said.
“The Council noted the progress in the review of the SADC Secretariat Organizational Structure and Institutional Framework necessary for the implementation of the Revised RISDP and industrialization strategy to be submitted to council in March 2016.”
On sustainable financing mechanisms, Council noted that it was critical that the region took charge in funding its programmes and not depend too much on foreign partners.
It is estimated that more than 70 percent of the SADC budget is funded by international cooperating partners, notably the European Union.
To address the situation, “Council directed the Committee of Ministers of Finance to coordinate work on alternative sources of funds, including to expeditiously finalize and operationalize the Regional Development Fund.”
Council directed the SADC Secretariat to conduct detailed research into various options of alternatives sources of income, while benchmarking with other relevant organisations such as the African Union and other regional economic communities.
In addition to this, the Secretariat should “develop a comprehensive proposal on the SADC Regional Resources Mobilization Framework”, which should be ready for consideration by August 2016.
The 35th SADC Summit is running under the theme “Accelerating Industrialization of SADC Economies, Through Transformation of Natural Endowment and Improved Human Capital.”
The theme continues the trajectory of the previous Summit held last year in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, which focused on economic transformation and sustainable development “through beneficiation and value addition”.
At the summit, President Seretse Khama Ian Khama of Botswana will assume the rotating SADC chair from his Zimbabwean counterpart, President Robert Mugabe.sardc.net
