Page 16 - 41st Summit Brochure

g Customs and Trade Facilitation. The SADC Trade Facilitation Programme was developed and approved by
the Ministerial Task Force on Regional Economic Integration in March 2016. The Programme is intended to
enhance the intra- and extra-SADC trade. The SADC Regional Customs Transit Guarantee was also revised and
will be submitted to the Committee of Ministers of Trade for adoption. The customs transit facility is to facilitate
the goods in transit by using a single recognized guarantee.

g Enhancement of Trade Infrastructure. The SADC Simplified Trade Regime Framework and SADC Regional
Customs Transit Guarantee Regulations aimed at facilitating intra- and extra-SADC Trade were finalized in
2020 and the roll-out of these instruments is expected to start in 2021 after consideration and endorsement by
Ministers responsible for Trade in SADC. The SADC E-Certificate of Origin (eCoO) Framework was developed
and approved during the review period. The E-certificate will help to facilitate the application of the Certificate
of Origin electronically, thus easing cross-border trade. The Framework will soon be piloted in six Member
States — Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Namibia, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia. The launch of eCoO
transmission is scheduled for September 2021.

g Infrastructure Development.In its pursuit to industrialize and accelerate regional integration, SADC has prioritized
infrastructure development, and a number of infrastructure projects have been, and continue to be, implemented in
energy, transport, information communication technologies, meteorology, trans-boundary water resources and
tourism (trans-frontier conservation areas). The targets for infrastructure are set in the SADC Regional Infrastructure
Development Master Plan (RIDMP) approved in 2012 that aims at attaining assimilated, cost-effective, unified and
efficient transnational infrastructure networks and services to serve as the enablers of regional integration and
economic development. The projects that have been implemented and are ongoing include:
v One-Stop Border Posts at Chirundu Border between Zambia and Zimbabwe; Nakonde-Tunduma Border
between United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia; and Kazungula Border between Botswana and Zambia,
where the road-rail bridge was commissioned in May 2021.
v Cross-border Transmission Links using optical fibre technology allow landlocked Member States such as
Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe to connect to the submarine cables on either
or both the east and west coasts of Africa. Five Member States (Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa
and United Republic of Tanzania) have achieved the 2025 SADC Broadband Target to cover 80 percent of
14 their population with broadband services and Regional Broadband interconnectivity as a critical
technology in addressing and recovery from natural disasters and pandemics. National Broadband Plans or
Strategies have been established by eight Member States — Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Mauritius,
Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and United Republic of Tanzania.
v Installation and Commissioning of more than 18300 Megawatts (MW) between 2014 and 2020 to meet the
increasing power demand in the Region. The Zambia-Tanzania Interconnector is at construction phase to
connect the remaining three mainland Member States of Angola, Malawi, and United Republic of Tanzania
to the regional power pool managed by the Southern African Power Pool.

g Financial and Monetary Integration
v The Financial Inclusion and SME Access to Finance Strategy and Implementation Strategy approved in
2018 has enhanced financial inclusion in SADC Member States. A total of 10 Member States have
developed either financial inclusion strategies or a national roadmap on financial inclusion, and there has
been an 8 percent improvement in financial inclusion among adults in the Region, which stands at 68
percent.
v The SADC Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS)multi-currency platform went live in October 2018 to
facilitate faster and more effective payment transactions in the region. All Member States, except Comoros, the
newest SADC Member State, are participating in the SADC-RTGS and a total of 84 banks are participating in
the system. The SADC-RTGS has enabled Member States to settle payments among themselves in real time
compared to previously when it used to take several days for banks to process cross-border transactions.

g Investment Cooperation and Promotion. SADC continues to implement the Regional Action Programme on
Investment (RAPI) to attract sustainable investment in the region.
v Policies and Frameworks for attracting and promotion of domestic investment and FDI have been
developed and harmonized, including the SADC Bilateral Investment Model Template and the SADC
Investment Policy Framework (IPF) which was adopted in October 2019 by the joint Investment
Subcommittee and TNF Services and recommended for approval by the MTF. The policy guides
Member States in the development of their National Action Programme for Investment (NAPI) in order
to improve the business and investment climate. Botswana, Malawi and Zambia have developed their
NAPI, and work is ongoing in Madagascar.