SANF 19 no 36 – by Kizito Sikuka in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Deepening integration in southern Africa will allow the region to easily and fully achieve sustainable development.
Outgoing SADC Council chair, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said this ahead of the 39th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit, which opens 17 August in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania.
“Deepening integration in SADC is what we need, as that is the only process that will lead us to the full integration of the region and the continent, thus making it possible for Africa to address the challenges of underdevelopment and poverty,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is also the Namibian deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation said SADC is a unique regional economic bloc that has withstood the test of time to deliver better living conditions for its citizens.
“In the SADC region, we are privileged that our developmental agenda is built on a strong foundation and anchored in principles, which stems from the vision of our Founders who were foresighted in their resolve for a better region and continent,” she said.
“Our region has also experienced a protracted liberation struggle during which we did not only share food and shelter but died together thus giving us a permanent oneness.”
During the liberation struggle for independence, selfless sacrifice was shown by the revolutionary leaders such as the founding Presidents of Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana namely Julius Nyerere, Kenneth Kaunda and Seretse Khama who mounted a formidable front against colonialism.
“At the forefront of inculcating the spirit of integration, social and economic cohesion was the eminent teacher, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere,” she said.
She said Nyerere played a critical role in the formation of SADC, formerly the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC).
“It is therefore, not wrong to say that our connectedness as a region and our continued pursuit for more deepened integration were born here in Tanzania,” she said.
“Thanks for the visionary leadership of Mwalimu a true Pan Africanist who declared that Tanzania could not be independent if the whole continent is not liberated. In itself that is a call for regional and continental integration. We owe it to Mwalimu and his peers to ensure that what they stood for is realized.”
Nandi-Ndaitwah said since its inception, SADC continues to record significant achievements in realizing its longstanding goals of a united, prosperous ours and integrated region.
For example, as part of the industrialization agenda, SADC has begun the process of identifying potential value chains in the region, which have a specific focus on a combination of how individual and regional strengths can be leveraged for optimal benefits from both regional and global value chains.
“This approach specifically allows us to profile the sectors in each country and develop the strategies for value addition, beneficiation and down-stream processing,” she said, adding that the process “allows us to have a vested interest in promoting investment in regional projects, as we are able to reap the collective benefits for all the people in our region.”
With respect to energy development, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the establishment of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) has allowed the region to share surplus energy.
SAPP is a regional body that coordinates the planning, generation, transmission and marketing of electricity in southern Africa on behalf of member state utilities, and all mainland countries with exception of Angola, Malawi and Tanzania are connected to the regional grid.
“The sharing of energy has translated into great direct benefits for our people through power sharing arrangements, which are able to balance energy surpluses and deficits in the region,” she said.
On gender development, she said SADC has made steady progress in advancing gender equality and equity.
“Women are making their input in the process of regional integration. However, we have to accept that gender equality is not fully realized. As we continue to harmonize our legislative and policy frameworks, to create opportunities for our citizens and create an environment that enables easier transactions and facilitates intra-regional investment, we should not overlook to have programmes focusing on women and youth.”
SADC Executive Secretary, Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax concurred, saying “our greatest resource as a region is our people, especially our young population who are supposed to be at the forefront in implementing and advancing the SADC agenda.”
She said SADC has come a long way, and achieved success in many fronts, and along the way has also encountered some challenges. Hence, it is important for all stakeholders to continue working together to consolidate and deepen integration.
“I have no doubt that with deeper integration SADC will take advantage of the many opportunities that the region offers to enable us to reap the benefits of regional integration and achieve sustainable economic prosperity for our people,” Dr. Tax said.
“I therefore call upon all regional stakeholder to rededicate ourselves to SADC and to the ideals of our Founding Fathers. Together, we can facilitate SADC’s integration, unity and shared values for prosperity and lasting peace for all.”
The Public Lecture, organized by UONGOZI Institute in collaboration with the SADC Secretariat, Tanzanian Ministry Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, and the University of Dar es Salaam was held on 15 August ahead of the 39th SADC Summit.
Running under the “A Conducive Environment for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development, Increased Intra-Regional Trade and Job Creation,” the 39th SADC Summit will see President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli of Tanzania assume the rotating SADC chair from his Namibian counterpart, President Hage Geingob. sardc.net
