The Council of Ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) met on 10-11 March 2024 in Luanda, Republic of Angola and deliberated on programmes, policies and interventions aimed at accelerating deeper regional integration, peace and economic development.
The Council of Ministers meeting was held under the 43rd SADC Summit Theme, “Human and Financial Capital: The Key Drivers for Sustainable Industrialisation in the SADC Region”. His Excellency Ambassador Téte António, Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola, chaired the meeting in his capacity as the Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers.
H.E António reiterated the call made by His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola, in his acceptance speech as the SADC Chairperson in August 2023, to expedite the approval and ratification of the agreement to facilitate operationalisation of the SADC Regional Development Fund (RDF), a self-financing and revolving financing mechanism intended to sustainably support the SADC regional development projects.
On the youth empowerment and participation in the SADC regional development, H.E António, called for renewed commitment by SADC Member States to address the challenges the youth face, which include limited access to education, skills development, employment opportunities, and resources.
The Chairperson of SADC Council of Ministers called for a comprehensive regional programme to address the needs of the youth and create an inclusive, socially stable, and prosperous SADC region. He emphasised that “ignoring the needs of the youth is not only short-sighted but also jeopardises the future that we all aspire for our region”.
The Executive Secretary of SADC, His Excellency Mr Elias M. Magosi presented an overview of the state of the region’s development and the progress towards the consolidation of regional integration and development.
H.E. Magosi urged Member States to speed the signing and ratification of SADC Protocols and Legal Instruments. The Executive Secretary stressed that the signing and ratification of the SADC Legal Instruments provides a framework for fostering cooperation and collaboration towards the attainment of the shared objectives and aspirations of the region and helps to attract the much-needed development resources from International Cooperating Partners.
With regards to peace and security, H.E. Magosi highlighted that the SADC region remains stable and peaceful, notwithstanding the security threats in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and northern Cabo Delgado in the Republic of Mozambique, which are aggravated by armed groups and terrorism activities, respectively. The SADC Executive Secretary updated Council on the progress to address the security situation in the DRC and Mozambique through the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) and SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIM).
Regarding the state of disasters, the SADC Executive Secretary highlighted that natural disasters continue to reverse development gains that the SADC region has made over the years. In this regard, the SADC Executive Secretary called on Member States that have not yet signed the Memorandum of Agreement establishing the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC) to do so for the Centre to become operational. Once fully operationalised, the SHOC will coordinate regional disaster risk preparedness, response and early recovery to support Member States affected by disasters.
The following are some of the key discussions and outcomes of the Council of Ministers meeting.
- Council observed a Moment of Silence in honour and memory of the late His Excellency Dr. Hage G. Geingob, third President of the Republic of Namibia, the late His Excellency Ali Hassan Mwinyi, second President of the United Republic of Tanzania and two South African soldiers who lost their lives in an attack in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo while serving under the SAMIDRC.
- Council approved the SADC Annual Corporate Plan and Budget for the 2024/2025 Financial Year to support interventions geared towards the implementation of key regional priorities outlined in the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP 2020-2030. The RISDP 2020–2030 cover six strategic priority areas namely: the Foundation: Peace, Security, and Good Governance; Pillar I: Industrial Development and Market Integration; Pillar II: Infrastructure Development in Support of Regional Integration; Pillar III: Social and Human Capital Development; and cross-cutting issues of Gender, Youth, Environment and Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management
- Council welcomed the unveiling of the statue in honour of Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere which took place on 18 February 2024 on the margins of the African Union Assembly. The Statue was erected at the African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters in front of the Julius Nyerere Peace and Security Building. Council commended the AUC and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania for the support and collaboration towards the construction of the Julius Nyerere Statue.
- Council reaffirmed its support and solidarity with the Governments and people of the DRC and Mozambique to bring lasting solutions to the security challenges in the eastern DRC and Northern part of Mozambique. Council commended the personnel of the SAMIM and SAMIDRC for their commitment to peace, security and prosperity of the affected Member States and the SADC region.
- Council urged Member States to continue domesticating the SADC Declaration on Youth Development and Empowerment, which was adopted by the SADC Summit in 2015, and directed the SADC Secretariat to expedite the operationalisation of the SADC Regional Youth Programme to act as a vehicle to empower the youth and enhance their capacities for meaningful contribution to developmental processes at all levels.
- Council called for expedited process to operationalise the SADC University of Transformation (SUT) to be hosted by the Kingdom of Eswatini. The SUT will serve to increase access to education; enhance quality and relevance to national priorities; increase the supply of relevant and critical skills for the benefit of the labour market; and provide a broader knowledge base for the region as well as engender stronger collaboration amongst higher education institutions through the development of joint programmes of study and joint research initiatives.
- Council urged Member States to remain vigilant in the wake of the El Niño and impending Tropical Cyclones, and timely conduct In-depth Vulnerability and needs Assessments to establish the impacts of the current weather and climate conditions, including El Nino with the view to determine relevant interventions to mitigate the impacts arising from natural disasters.
- Council encouraged Member States to commemorate the Southern Africa Liberation Day on 23rd March 2024 in honour of the contribution of men and women who fought against colonialism, apartheid, and oppression to secure the freedom of the people of Southern Africa. The Southern Africa Liberation Day was endorsed by the 38th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Windhoek, Namibia in August 2018.
- Council urged Member States to participate in the SADC Ministerial Roundtable to be hosted by the Republic of South Africa this year as part of the process towards the development of the SADC Regional Strategy on Accelerated Transformation of Informal Settlements. Council noted that this regional strategy is aligned to the implementation of the RISDP 2020-2030, under Pillar 3 on Social and Human Capital Development, addressing the enhancement of living conditions of the people, through promotion of inclusive, sustainable and smart cities in the region.
- Council commended International Cooperating Partners (ICPs) for continued support to the SADC regional integration agenda through support to the priorities outlined in the RISDP 2020-2030.
The SADC Council of Ministers is an institution of SADC established under Article 11 of the SADC Treaty to oversee the functioning and development of SADC and to ensure that SADC policies are properly implemented. The Council consists of Ministers from each Member State, usually from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economic Planning or Finance. The Council of Ministers meeting is preceded by the meeting of the SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials, which is a technical advisory committee to the Council of Ministers and acts as a clearing house for the Council agenda.
