Resetting SADC priorities – RISDP review · the Regional Indicative Strategic Develop-ment Plan...

SADC TODAY Vol. 16 No 5 August 2014

by Joseph Ngwawi

SADC HAS completed the review process forthe Regional Indicative Strategic Develop-ment Plan (RISDP) and the draft revised doc-ument is expected to be presented to theCouncil of Ministers during the 34th Ordi-nary Summit in Zimbabwe.

The RISDP is a 15-year plan approved bySADC Member States in 2003 as a blueprint forregional integration and development, and thereview aims at enabling SADC to realise its in-tegration and development agenda by realign-ing the region’s development plans withemerging global dynamics and refocusing on afew critical and realistic interventions.

The RISDP was developed following a de-cision by the SADC Summit of Heads of Stateand Government in 1999, in Maputo, Mozam-bique to streamline and rationalise the SADCProgramme of Action with a view to increas-ing the effectiveness and efficiency of theSADC Common Agenda in achieving itsoverarching goals of achieving sustainabledevelopment and reducing poverty.

In pursuance of this decision, the RISDPidentified the following priority areas of re-gional cooperation and integration: Trade andeconomic liberalization; Regional infrastructure

POLICY 3

COMMUNITY 4

STRUCTURE 5

INFRASTUCTURE 6-7

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 8-9

ENERGY 10

AGRICULTURE 11

TRADE 12

PEACE & SECURITY 13

ELECTIONS 14

EVENTS 15

HISTORY TODAY 16

and services development for regional integra-tion; Food security and joint management oftransboundary natural resources; Social andhuman development: and Crosscutting issues,including gender and development; HIV andAIDS; science and technology; sustainable en-vironment; private sector; and statistics.

In 2007, following the realisation that theRISDP priorities were in excess of MemberStates’ capacity to fund regional cooperationand integration programmes, translating in anescalating SADC Secretariat budget, the Coun-cil of Ministers approved a re-prioritisation ofSADC programmes and a framework for re-allocation of resources to comply with Summitdecision on the review of SADC operationsand institutions aimed at improving efficiencyand increasing effectiveness.

The revised priorities were identified as:Trade/Economic liberalization and develop-ment; Infrastructure in support of regional in-tegration; Peace and security cooperation (as apre-requisite for achieving the regional inte-gration agenda); and Special programmes ofregional dimension, encompassing educationand human resource development; health,HIV and AIDS and other communicable dis-eases; food security and transboundary natu-ral resources; statistics; gender equality;

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Resetting SADC priorities –RISDP review

2 SOUTHERN AFRICA Today, August 2014

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

science, technology and inno-vation; and research and de-velopment.

Since 2010, the plan hasundergone a review process,starting with a desk reviewundertaken by the SADC Sec-retariat in 2011.

The desk assessmentanalysed SADC’s perform-ance and identified the chal-lenges encountered as well asthe lessons learnt during im-plementation of the RISDPfrom 2005 to 2010. The assess-ment formed the basis for anindependent mid-term reviewbetween 2012 and 2013.

In August 2013, the Coun-cil of Ministers directed theSADC Secretariat to workwith Member States in settingup a multi-stakeholder taskforce with the responsibility tofinalize the process of reviewof the RISDP.

The task force had a seriesof meetings in 2014 to proposenew priorities; main focalareas; milestones; outputs;targets and timeframes for theremainder of the implementa-tion period.

It also met to proposestrategies for implementationof the RISDP; recommendany other strategies and im-plementation frameworksthat may enhance its imple-mentation, including an ap-propriate institutional andlegal framework; and a sus-tainable resource mechanism,as well as a monitoring andevaluation mechanism for theremaining period of its im-plementation.

The result of this work isthe proposed RevisedRISDP(2015-2020) which hasbeen reviewed by MemberStates as well as through sec-tor and ministerial clustermeetings.

The final document is ex-pected to be presented to the

Council of Ministers in Au-gust for approval.

The task force recognizedthat the SADC vision, princi-ples, goals, objectives, and theCommon Agenda – as en-shrined in the Treaty and re-stated in the RISDP – have notchanged. It recognized thatSADC countries remainedcommitted to integrationaimed at achieving povertyeradication and sustainabledevelopment.

It took into account the ex-periences and lessons learnt aswell as new developmentsthat have occurred since 2007when the Council of Ministersreprioritized the regional pri-orities at a meeting in Lusaka.

The rationale for the repri-oritization at the time was tosharpen the focus of theRISDP implementation and toestablish a framework so as toallocate resources for greaterimpact.

The task force noted thatnotwithstanding the achieve-ments made in the implemen-tation of the regionalintegration agenda, the expec-tations of the regional blue-print exceeded the capacity ofboth the SADC Secretariat andMember States to deliver onall the agreed targets withinthe specified period.

It is estimated that imple-mentation rates between 2005and 2010 in terms of reachingstipulated targets range from65 percent for Trade/Eco-nomic Liberalisation and De-velopment; 64 percent forFood Security and Environ-ment; and 60 percent for Infra-structure Support for RegionalIntegration and Poverty Erad-ication.

Other sectors which oper-ate in areas where results canonly become clearly visibleover longer periods of time,have a greater percentages of

partial achievements, such asSocial and Human Develop-ment and Special Programmeswith 38 percent achieved and46 percent of partiallyachieved targets; or crosscut-ting issues with 14 percentachieved and 68 percent par-tially achieved targets.

Some remarkable achieve-ments made in trade, industryand finance have contributedto the region’s integrationprocess although the imple-mentation of the SADC FreeTrade Area Protocol is still lim-ited and there have been casesof Member States reversingtheir commitment to complywith the requirements of theFTA.

One of the main challengesfaced in this particular area,but also across the range ofareas covered by the RISDP,often relates to the lack of ca-pacity to effectively monitorthe implementation of agreedprotocols to ensure compli-ance to commitments.

As a result and because oftime lags and resource defi-ciencies, some of the originaltargets of the RISDP are notconsidered in the revisedRISDP.

For example, the CustomsUnion has been deferred forthe remaining period of theRISDP and more realistic tar-geted outputs will be imple-mented to facilitate theeventual establishment of theCU, as well as other steps tar-geting regional integration.

Infrastructure develop-ment remains a leading prior-ity, with considerablepreparatory work having beendone to develop enabling poli-cies, systems and processesthat will greatly facilitate proj-ect preparation as well as helpto attract private sector invest-ments and further promotepublic-private partnerships.

Resetting SADC priorities –RISDP review

Food security and the re-duction of vulnerability willalso be a priority and are de-pendent on sound agriculturalpolicies and practices as wellas on the accessibility of foodin terms of availability and itsprice.

The sustainable use andpreservation of the environ-ment and natural resourcesare therefore critical as is theneed to take into account cli-mate change in the formula-tion of agricultural and foodsecurity programmes.

Progress has also beenmade in areas related to socialand human development andthe revised RISDP recognizesthat the development of theregion can only occur if theworkforce is healthy and ableto operate at a level thatmakes progress possible, andif decision-makers and leadersin the public and private sec-tors, are knowledgeable.

While efforts have beenmade in gender mainstream-ing at the level of policies, therevised blueprint recognizesthat there is still much to bedone to see these policiestranslated into action.

Emerging issues that pro-vide new opportunities foreconomic and social develop-ment have also been takeninto account in this plan.

Examples of such emerg-ing issues are the utilization ofmarine resources or the con-cept of the blue economy forMember States with access tothe sea, and the special gainsto be derived from the youth-fulness of the region’s popula-tion. r

SADC HAS approved a draftlabour migration policy frame-work that seeks to promotesound management of intra-re-gional movement of workersfor the benefit of both thesource and recipient countriesas well as the migrant workers.

The draft policy was en-dorsed by SADC ministers re-sponsible for labour at themeeting held in July in VictoriaFalls, Zimbabwe.

The policy framework aimsto promote:• The development and

implementation of na-

tional labour migrationpolicies;

• Multilateral and bilaterallabour agreements for thebenefit of persons workingor intending to work in theterritory of another StateParty;

• Migrant workers’ rights;• Protection of migrant work-

ers at the workplace and inthe communities;

• Harmonisation and stan-dardisation of labour mi-gration policies; and

• Integration of the intra-re-gional labour migration

SADC draft labour migration policy approved

P O L I C Y

SOUTHERN AFRICA Today 3

data into the SADCLabour Market InformationSystems.In her address to the minis-

ters, the Zimbabwean VicePresident, Hon. J.T.R. Mujuru,urged SADC to address highyouth unemployment, whichis affecting development in theregion.

The youth make up the ma-jority of the population inSADC, yet continue to be af-fected by high unemploymentrates in the region.

Mujuru said SADC and itssocial partners should continue

to work together at both thenational and regional levels toimprove the lives of people inthe region.

The ministers also consid-ered and approved the draftRevised Regional IndicativeStrategic Development Plan,noting its key achievementsthat include the developmentof a SADC Decent Work Pro-gramme (2013-2019) to guidecountries towards promotionof employment creation,labour standards, social dia-logue and social protection inthe region. r

Macroeconomic convergence targets to be revised

Research needed on gender parity challenges

SADC MEMBER States have agreed to revise macroeconomic convergence targets to alignthem with changes in regional dynamics.

The decision to revise the targets was reached during a joint meeting of the SADC Task Forceon Regional Economic Integration and the Committee of Central Bank Governors held in Julyin Gaborone, Botswana to discuss issues pertaining to the regional economic integration agenda.

“Amongst other issues, the joint meeting agreed to revise the macroeconomic convergencetarget, in particular, to revise the inflation target from the fixed target of three percent to a rangeof 3-7 percent,” the task force and the CCBG said in a joint communique.

The meeting also agreed to maintain the current targets for the fiscal deficit and public debt,at three percent of Gross Domestic Product and 60 percent of GDP respectively for the remain-ing period of the RISDP.

SADC Member States agreed in 2002 that in order to achieve and maintain macroeconomicstability, they need to converge on stability-oriented economic policies to be implementedthrough a sound institutional structure and framework. r

MINISTERS RESPONSIBLEfor gender and women’s affairsin the SADC region have taskedMember States to carry out acomprehensive research that ex-plores the key barriers that con-tinue to hinder the elevation ofwomen in political and deci-sion-making positions.

The research is expected torecommend strategies towardsaddressing the challengesfaced by women in reachingdecision-making positions inthe region.

The ministers called onMember States to put in placelegislation, policies and strate-gies to ensure equal represen-tation of women in politicaland decision-making positions.They noted during their meet-ing in Lilongwe, Malawi inJuly that progress towards gen-der equality in the region is in-consistent and regressive.

According to the SADCGender Monitor 2013 released atthe 33rd SADC Summit held inMalawi, representation ofwomen in the Lower House ofParliament ranges from morethan 40 percent in Seychellesand South Africa to around 10percent in Botswana and theDemocratic Republic of Congo.

Average SADC representa-tion of women in parliament

was 25.8 percent as of mid-2013, marginally up from 20.6percent in 2005 and 23 percentin 2011, but still short of the 50percent target for 2015.

With the 2015 deadline ap-proaching for gender parity indecision-making structures,only six SADC countries aresignificantly close to the targetof parity in parliament, havinggone above the 30 percentthreshold set previously by re-gional leaders for representa-tion of women.

These are Seychelles at 43.8percent representation ofwomen as of 2012, South Africa

(41.3 percent), Mozambique(39.2 percent), Tanzania (36percent) and Angola (34.1 per-cent). Zimbabwe, since the July2013 elections, has 31.5 percentrepresentation in the NationalAssembly and 47.5 percentwomen representation in theSenate.

The ministers urged Mem-ber States to accelerate effortsto implement commitmentsmade in the SADC Protocol onGender and Development.

Malawian President PeterMutharika, who officiallyopened the ministers meeting,urged Member States “to accel-

erate implementation effortstowards the achievement ofconcrete and transformativechanges in the lives of womenand girls in our region.”

The protocol entered intoforce in early 2013 followingratification of the instrumentby the requisite two-thirds ofMember States.

The ministers consideredand approved the Revised Re-gional Indicative Strategic De-velopment Plan (RISDP)(2015-2020) and strongly rec-ommended that gender bemainstreamed in all sectors ofregional integration. r


bilateral agreements amongthemselves to remove anystringent measures.

On the economic front,SADC citizens are now gettingbetter products at lower pricesdue to increased trade as a re-sult of the implementation ofthe SADC Protocol on Tradeadopted in 2000 and the ulti-mate launch of the SADC FreeTrade Area (FTA) in 2008.

Through the FTA, produc-ers and consumers in southernAfrica have benefited fromduty-free trade for all goodsoriginating within the region.

More than 85 percent of allgoods produced and traded inthe region have since 2008 notattracted duty, while maxi-mum liberalization was finallyreached in 2012 when tariffson sensitive products were re-moved.

The next stage for SADC isto consolidate the gains of theFTA by creating a CustomsUnion, Common Market,Monetary Union, and eventu-ally adopt a Single Currencyfor the region.

With regard to energy devel-opment, more SADC citizensnow have access to sustainablemodern energy services.

This has been made possi-ble through a number of initia-tives, including the

establishment of the SouthernAfrican Power Pool (SAPP) – aregional body that coordinatesthe planning, generation,transmission and marketing ofelectricity on behalf of SADCMember State utilities.

In 2013 alone, SAPP added1,360 megawatts (MW) of newelectricity to the regional grid,and the region plans to installmore than 6,000MW in 2014

with the hope of ensuring thatsufficient generation reservesof installed capacity isachieved in the next few years.

Another major regional ini-tiative that has improved ac-cess to energy for SADCcitizens is the commissioningin December 2009 of the com-petitive electricity market,commonly known as the DayAhead Market (DAM).

The DAM has allowedSADC countries to easily selland buy surplus electricityfrom each other, thereby help-ing some Member States tomeet their growing demandfor energy.

On the political front, coop-eration among Member Stateshas succeeded in consolidatingpeace and security in the re-gion. Political stability, peaceand security are seen by SADCas the foundation for socio-economic development.

In 1998, SADC-led troopshelped the DRC to defend itssovereignty when some neigh-bouring countries tried to in-vade, and the region continuesto support its road to recoveryand the restoration for totalpeace in eastern part of thecountry.

The involvement of SADCin Madagascar and Zimbabweis yet another success story,which gives credence to theability and effectiveness ofSADC to solve its own chal-lenges without unnecessaryoutside interference.

With respect to gender,SADC has made significantprogress in strengthening therole of women in decision-making.

In August 2013, the 33rdSADC Summit of Heads ofState and Government madethe historic appointment of DrStergomena Lawrence Taxfrom Tanzania as the firstwoman to assume the post ofSADC Executive Secretary.

According to the SADCGender Monitor 2013 releasedat the 33rd SADC Summit heldin Lilongwe, Malawi, repre-sentation of women in theLower House of Parliamentranges from more than 40 per-cent in Seychelles and SouthAfrica to around 10 percent inBotswana and the DRC.

Six SADC countries (An-gola, Mozambique, Seychelles,South Africa, Tanzania andZimbabwe) are significantlyclose to the target of parity inparliament, having gone abovethe 30 percent threshold setpreviously by regional leadersfor women representation.

Average SADC representa-tion by women in parliamentwas 25.8 percent as of mid-2013, up from 20.6 percent in2005 and 23 percent in 2011,but still short of the 50 percenttarget. r

C O M M U N I T Y

SADC - A shared regional communityby Kizito Sikuka

THE JOURNEY has been longbut worthwhile.

From a series of consulta-tions held in the late 70s byrepresentatives of the Front-line States to forge closer al-liance, southern Africa wasfinally able to form a vibrantregional organization, theSouthern Africa DevelopmentCoordination Conference(SADCC) in 1980, which waslater transformed to theSouthern African Develop-ment Community (SADC) in1992.

Initially made up of ninecountries (Angola, Botswana,Lesotho, Malawi, Mozam-bique, Swaziland, United Re-public of Tanzania, Zambiaand Zimbabwe), SADC hasgrown to 15 member statesand now includes the Demo-cratic Republic of Congo(DRC), Madagascar, Mauri-tius, Namibia, South Africaand Seychelles.

Closer cooperation amongthe 15 Member States has seenthe region achieve a numberof milestones aimed at ad-vancing political freedom intobroader socio-economic inde-pendence that ensures im-proved living standards for itspeople.

For example, the region hasbroken down colonial barriersby opening up its borders toencourage the smooth move-ment of goods, services andpeople.

This development has im-proved intra-regional tradeand facilitated the movementof skilled personnel in the re-gion, as well as deepened peo-ple-to-people exchanges.

Unlike in the past, it is nowpossible for SADC citizens toeasily move within the regionwithout first obtaining a visa,as most countries have signed


SADC Budget

The Organ structure, oper-ations and functions are regu-lated by the Protocol onPolitics, Defence and SecurityCooperation.

The Organ has its ownstrategic plan, the StrategicIndicative Plan for the Organ(SIPO). r

MEMBER STATES contributeto the SADC budget and vari-ous projects and programmesare supported by InternationalCooperating Partners (ICPs).

Member States have beenurged to reduce dependenceon donor funding for regionalintegration and developmentprogrammes.

“As we all agree, donorcontributions should onlysupplement our own effortsand should not be the main-stay of our regional integra-tion and developmentprogrammes,” the SADC Ex-ecutive Secretary, Dr Stergom-ena Lawrence Tax, remindedthe 16th Ministerial Commit-tee of the Organ on Politics,Defence and Security Cooper-ation (MCO) held in Swakop-mund, Namibia in July.

The current ratio of SADCfunds allocation is 21 percentfrom Member States and 79percent from International Co-operating Partners.

“As long as donor contri-butions are the major source ofour funding, it will be hard forus to independently realiseour objectives – without pan-dering to the whims of others.This disturbing situation re-quires immediate attention,”she said. r

Structure of SADC political governance

S T R U C T U R E

SADC Summit The SADC Summit is respon-sible for the overall policy di-rection and control offunctions of the Community,ultimately making it thesupreme policy-making insti-tution of SADC.

It is made up of all SADCHeads of States or Govern-ment of Member States and ismanaged on a Troika systemthat comprises the currentSADC Summit Chairperson,the incoming Chairperson(the Deputy at the time), andthe immediate previousChairperson.

Therefore, prior to the 34thSADC Summit to be held on17-18 August in Victoria Falls,Zimbabwe, the SummitTroika was made up ofMalawian President PeterMutharika (current chair),Zimbabwean PresidentRobert Mugabe (incomingchair), and Mozambican Pres-ident Armando Guebuza (im-mediate previous chair).

However, after the 34thSummit that will see PresidentMugabe assume the chair, theSummit Troika will be madeup of Zimbabwe (currentchair), Malawi (previouschair) and the SADC MemberState that will be elected asDeputy.

The Troika System vests au-thority in this group of threeleaders to take quick decisionson behalf of SADC that are or-dinarily taken at policy meet-ings scheduled at regularintervals, as well as providing

policy direction to SADC insti-tutions between the regularSADC Summits.

This system has been effec-tive since it was established bythe Summit at its annual meet-ing in Maputo, Mozambiquein August 1999. Other Mem-ber States may be co-optedinto the Troika as necessary.

The Troika system operatesat the level of the Summit, theOrgan, the Council of Minis-ters, and the Standing Com-mittee of Senior Officials.

The Summit usually meetsonce a year in August/Sep-tember.

Summit Troika of theOrganThe SADC Organ on PoliticsDefence and Security Cooper-ation is managed on a Troikabasis and is responsible forpromoting peace and securityin the SADC region. It is man-dated to steer and provideMember States with directionregarding matters thatthreaten peace, security andstability in the region. It is co-ordinated at the level of Sum-mit, consisting of aChairperson, Incoming Chair-person and Outgoing Chair-person, and reports to theSADC Summit Chairperson.

The SADC Summit and theOrgan Troika are mutuallyexclusive, and the Chairper-son of the Organ does not si-multaneously hold the chair ofSummit. Like the Summitchair, the Organ chair rotateson an annual basis.

SADC IS a regional organisation that aims to promote sustain-able and equitable socio-economic development in southernAfrica. Its operations are centralised at the SADC Secretariatbased in Gaborone, Botswana. Political and policy decisions onregional development and integration are taken by the SADCSummit of Heads of State and Government, and/or by theSADC Summit Troika of the Organ. This issue of Southern AfricaToday explores how these political governance structures operatein the discharge of their responsibilities.


by Kizito Sikuka

AT LEAST seven infrastructure proj-ects in southern Africa were pre-sented at the recent Dakar Financing

Summit for implementation underthe Programme for Infrastructure

Development in Africa (PIDA).PIDA is a blueprint for

African infrastructure trans-formation for the period

2012-2040. The programmewas adopted by Africanleaders in January 2012and provides a strategic

framework for priority infra-structure projects expected to

transform the continent into an inter-connected and integrated region.

To mobilise financial investment toaccelerate PIDA implementation, theNew Partnership for Africa's Devel-

opment (NEPAD) organized theDakar Financing Summit on14-15 June in Senegal where atotal of 16 strategic and region-

ally balanced projects were pre-sented to potential donors.

Of these, seven are in theSouthern African DevelopmentCommunity (SADC). These in-

clude the Ruzizi III HydropowerProject in the Democratic Re-

public of Congo (DRC); theDar es Salaam Port Expan-

sion Project in the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania; the

Serenge-Nakonde Roadin Zambia; and theLusaka-Lilongwe ICT

Terrestrial Fibre Opticlinking Malawi and Zambia.

The other three are the Zambia-Tan-zania-Kenya Transmission Line linkingthe power grids of the three countries;the Batoka Gorge Hydropower Projectinvolving Zambia and Zimbabwe; andthe Brazzaville-Kinshasa Road RailBridge Project and the Kinshasa IlleboRailways in the DRC.

“The 16 projects were selected dueto their strategic, political and eco-nomic importance as flagship regionalprojects,” NEPAD said in a statement,adding that “once implemented, theseprojects will significantly transform theway Africa does business.”

All the 16 selected projects coverthe three main sectors of energy,transport and Information Communi-cation Technology (ICT).

Construction of the Batoka Gorgehydropower station is expected toadd 1,600 megawatts of electricity,enough to ease shortages in Zambiaand Zimbabwe.

Since the two countries are con-nected to the Southern African PowerPool (SAPP), which coordinates themanagement of electricity in the re-gion, the proposed power station willalso benefit the SADC region.

The Batoka project entails the con-struction of a 181-metre gravity damand the installation of eight 200MWunits with the power shared equallybetween the two countries.

The proposed Ruzizi III project inthe DRC will add another 147MW,and will be a run-of-the-river hydro-electric plant with three power units.

With regard to the Zambia-Tanza-nia-Kenya Interconnector, the project isexpected to improve regional integra-tion and energy trade within and be-tween the SAPP and East AfricanPower Pool (EAPP), as well as linkTanzania to the SAPP.

The refurbishment of the Dar esSalaam Port will include deepeningand strengthening the berth for deepsea vessels, and increasing the capac-ity to handle bigger vessels.

The Dar es Salaam port is the sec-ond most important gateway for re-gional trade in east Africa afterMombasa, catering to 90 percent ofTanzania’s international trade and asignificant part of trans-shipmenttrade for Zambia, Malawi, DRC andUganda.

Rehabilitation of the Serenge-Nakonde Road will involve wideningof the road, and its improvement willcontribute to cost reduction for roadtransportation along the North-Southand Dar es Salaam Corridors, as wellas reduce accident losses for the trans-port of passengers and goods.

With regard to the Lusaka-Li-longwe ICT Terrestrial Fibre Optic,the project aims to facilitate intercon-nection between Malawi and Zambia.

The Brazzaville-Kinshasa RoadRail Bridge Project and the KinshasaIllebo Railways in DRC will includea combined road, rail and rail-bridgeas well as a one-stop border post.sardc.net r

SADC to build climate service centresPLANS ARE at an advanced stage toconstruct a total of 10 automaticweather stations in the region to im-prove the generation and dissemina-tion of climate information.

An automatic weather stationmeasures various meteorological pa-rameters such as wind speed, winddirection, temperature, humidity andambient pressure.

The data collected in the weatherstation can be monitored on site ortransferred to a remote server, thussaving human labour.

The SADC Directorate for Infra-structure and Services said trainingon maintenance and calibration of au-tomatic weather stations for techni-cians has already been conducted,and the 10 automatic weather stationswould be procured soon.

SADC to benefit from African infrastructure proI N F R A S T R U C T U R E

This is in line with the recentlylaunched SADC Regional Infrastruc-ture Development Master Plan, whichoutlines the region’s developmentplans and infrastructure projects forthe next 25 years.

For meteorology, the top priorityfor SADC is strengthening meteoro-logical observation network in theSADC region.

A total of US$81.5 million is aimedat upgrading infrastructure, includ-ing automatic weather stations formonitoring and analysis of weatherand climate data.

Access to correct and relevantclimate information is critical forplanning purposes as it allowscitizens to prepare for any weatherrelated disasters such as floods andstorms. r

SADC strives for air safety

ZAMBIA AND the United Republic ofTanzania have agreed to decentraliseand transform operations of the Tanza-nia-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara)to make it commercially viable.

The two governments will changethe modality of their ownership of therailway company, with the objectiveof improving its profitability and self-reliance.

SOUTHERN AFRICAN countriesare working towards the improve-ment of safety standards for air trans-portation in the region and SADC hasembarked on various programmesand activities to maintain the higheststandards.

All SADC Member States are sig-natories to the International Conven-tion on Civil Aviation (ICAO) and areobliged to comply with all interna-tional safety standards and recom-mended practices.

According to latest informationfrom ICAO, the safety of commercialair transportation in the SADC regionhas improved during the six years ofthe Cooperative Development ofOperational Safety and ContinuingAirworthiness Programme(COSCAP-SADC).

The COSCAP-SADC Project hasallowed SADC Member States to up-date and modernize their civil avia-tion legislation and regulations to

NAMIBIA IS deter-mined to take full advan-tage of its geographicallocation and become atrue economic gatewayto the southern Africanregion.

President Hifikepunye Pohambaannounced in his State of the NationAddress that the country is imple-menting strategic initiatives that willensure that Namibia becomes a mod-ern transport hub for imports and ex-ports to and from southern Africa.

Part of the strategy will seeNamibia providing services such asavailing dry-dock ports to neigh-bouring landlocked countries in theSADC region.

A total of six SADC MemberStates are landlocked –Botswana,Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Zambiaand Zimbabwe.

The other nine have access to thesea – Angola, the Democratic Republicof Congo, Madagascar, Mauritius,


grammeI N F R A S T R U C T U R E

comply with international safety stan-dards.

The project has enhanced thesafety oversight capacity of govern-ment safety inspectors employed bycivil aviation authorities, agencies ordepartments in Member States.

Furthermore, the project has fa-cilitated the establishment of theSADC Aviation Safety Organization(SASO).

SASO is expected to be opera-tional by December 2014, and will beheadquartered in Mbabane, Swazi-land.

The main objectives of SASO is toassist Member States in meeting theirsafety oversight obligations in an envi-ronment of harmonised national civilaviation regulations and technical pro-cedures that enforce the standards andrecommended practices of ICAO. r

Mozambique, Namibia,Seychelles, South Africaand United Republic ofTanzania.

Landlocked coun-tries in SADC have spe-cial needs for transport

and transit services, and usually bearhigh costs for capacity and access to ex-ternal markets.

The availing of dry-dock port fa-cilities to landlocked countries willgreatly reduce the cost of importingand exporting goods, thus contributingtowards socio-economic development.This development will also contributeto deepening regional integration.

Another strategic initiative forNamibia is the development of theSADC Gateway Port between Swakop-mund and Walvis Bay, as well as theexpansion of the Walvis Bay harbour.

Walvis Bay is one of the busiestand most popular ports for sea ves-sels because of its natural deep-waterharbour. r

Tanzania, Zambia agree on Tazara operations modality

Namibia to avail dry-dock ports to SADC countries

The governments of Tanzania,Zambia and China built the railway inthe 1970s to reduce the economic de-pendence of landlocked Zambiaon Southern Rhodesia (now Zim-babwe) and South Africa, both ofwhich were hostile and ruled bywhite minority governments.

The Tazara line provided theonly route for bulk trade fromZambia's Copperbelt to reachthe sea without having to tran-sit hostile territories.

The Tanzanian Ministerfor Transport, HarrisonMwakyembe, said thatunder the new modalities,each country would runtrains within its borders.

“Previously, we had a pas-senger train with one route from Dar esSalaam to Zambia but the newmodality allows each coun-try to run passenger trainswithin its borders,” he said,adding that a meeting in-volving finance, industryand transport officials fromthe two countries decided onthe new arrangement.

Tazara, also known as theUhuru (Freedom) Railway, is akey transporter of cargo, mostlycopper and other minerals fromZambian mines to Dar es Salaamport for export to overseas mar-kets, thus Tazara provides a gatewayto eastern and southern African busi-ness markets, as well as transportingpassengers. Daily News r

I N D U S T R I A L D E V E L O P M E N T


These challenges can in fact present major opportunities whenlooked at from another angle. First, SADC is rich in natural re-sources, and simply needs to turn this into a competitive advan-tage through value-addition and beneficiation.

A related opportunity is presented by Africa’s demographicdividend. Whereas other parts of the world are losing their de-mographic dividend, Africa boasts of a young population, withthe proportion of youth in some countries as high as 65 percentunder the age of 35 years.

Second, due to Africa’s resource endowment, the continent isreceiving greater attention from major economic powers —China, Europe and the United States.

Yet such attention, given the tempting nature of Africa’s re-sources, may lead to undesired consequences unless the leader-ship of the continent makes certain major decisions, includinginsistence on technological transfer in order to turn the primarycommodities into high-value finished products for internationaltrade.

Third, the arrival of China and other BRICS countries (Brazil,Russia, India, South Africa) on the global stage has democratisedaccess to capital as well as widened options. Gone are the dayswhen decisions on flow of capital into Africa were dictated by theformer colonial metropoles. Shanghai and other internationalcapital markets now offer a much wider menu for countries want-ing to attract foreign direct investment.

by Munetsi Madakufamba

THE FIRST major challenge for SADC economies, as is the casewith most African states, is a development model that is drivenby consumption and primary commodity exports.

The limitations of this kind of an economic growth path wereseverely exposed during the recent global economic crisis whenthe region’s economic performance was severely jolted. Further,the regional integration model in Africa has tended to focus toomuch on trade at the expense of the development of the industrialsector.

SADC has not been an exception.In fact, its successive development blueprints have identified

trade as the main development priority. Although SADC policydocuments have consistently recognised the need to develop theindustrial sector to accompany emphasis on trade, the industrialpolicy framework document has not been in place until recently.

The SADC Industrial Development Policy Framework was ap-proved by the Committee of Ministers of Trade in November 2012and endorsed by the Council of Ministers in February 2013 andis yet to be implemented.

The policy document identifies three sectors for initial focusin the medium term: agro-processing, mineral beneficiation andpharmaceuticals.

This will be a key issue for discussion at the 34th SADC Sum-mit, to be hosted by Zimbabwe in Victoria Falls next month underthe theme, “SADC Strategy for Economic Transformation: Lever-aging the Region’s Diverse Resources for Sustainable Economicand Social Development through Beneficiation and Value Addi-tion”.

A growing industrial sector is key to sustained overall eco-nomic as well as human development of a country due to themultiplier effect insofar as it promotes value-addition and em-ployment generation.

A second challenge relates to economies built on a weak eco-nomic infrastructure base, including poor road, rail and air net-works, and power shortages.

Third, lack of access to appropriate modern technologies haslimited industrial competitiveness and ability to engage in value-addition and beneficiation.

Fourth, the majority of the countries lack access to affordablecapital for investment in industrial development.

Finally, when operating individually, most SADC economiesare too small to enjoy the competitiveness that comes witheconomies of scale, particularly when dealing with any of theother challenges stated above.

Industrial Development Prospects for INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT in Africa has been largely a nationlittle cooperation happening at the continent wide or sub-regional levemodel of African development entailing the integration of the many prepost-colonial polities into larger regional economic communities has mposes of creating larger markets for trade, with little collective focus onpects such as investment in industrial capability and economic infrast

While acknowledging the differential nature of African states, the pAfrica has pursued many development models mostly on the influencnial powers, individually or collectively as regional communities, wiof limited success. With some exceptions, most have struggled internificant mark on human development with key performance indicatunemployment and per capita income still disappointingly out of synglobally the African state has remained at the periphery of internation

Africa’s future is a bright one if the continent can take the necessary on a development path based on home-grown solutions and riding onative advantages it enjoys over other regions of the world, including sources, the demographic dividend presented by the largely youthfucomparatively large combined population, and economies-of-scale ofrom deeper regional integration. r

I N D U S T R I A L D E V E L O P M E N T


Fourth, the problem of infrastructurehas been correctly identified and thereforereceiving political attention in Africa.SADC adopted its Regional InfrastructureDevelopment Master Plan (RIDMP) in Au-gust 2012 as the sub-region’s strategy forthe development of integrated regional in-frastructure to meet projected demand by2027.

Fifth, regional integration offers thebest option for member states to enjoyeconomies of scale that may be required totackle some of the current challenges. Forexample, some of the infrastructure projectsidentified under RIDMP would make eco-nomic sense only if pursued as sub-regionalprojects.

From a demographic perspective, thecombined population of SADC is about 280million, while that of the entire continent isjust over one billion people, which comparesfavourably with other regions of the world.

The challenges facing SADC and many other Africaneconomies are as diverse as the number of countries that makeup the continent, and it is important to acknowledge from theoutset that while Africa is one continent, it is not made up of ahomogenous group of countries, and so are the many regionaleconomic communities spread across the continent.

All developing countries that have successfully made the tran-sition from low income to middle and high income status, suchas China and the East Asian Tigers as well as Latin Americancountries, have done so by relying on a strong manufacturing sec-tor as the driver of an export-oriented growth economy.

This has been done with a strong role for government, espe-cially in the provision of infrastructure whose magnetic powerhas been most evident in China in attracting new industries andother forms of development.

SADC and the rest of Africa have no choice but to break fromthe current consumption and commodity exports developmentpath to a more sustainable development model based on indus-trial competitiveness.

Since the 1980s, special economic zones were introduced inChina through careful experimentation, notably starting inGuangdong province where the remarkable story of Shenzhenwas turned from what was once a fishing village into an ultra-modern industrial city.

This model has since been replicated in other parts of China,turning the country from a previously agro-based economy intoone that now derives about 90 percent of its income from indus-trial and service sectors.

China is already supporting special economic zones in Egypt,Ethiopia, Mauritius, Nigeria and Zambia, and some lessons canbe drawn from China’s development experience.

The success of China’s industrial development can be attrib-uted to gradual and strategic economic liberalisation, an effectivepolicy of foreign direct investment, incentives to both private andpublic sector enterprises, strategy of internationalisation for state-owned enterprises, research and development, and dynamic stateinstitutions for policy guidance.

Success is driven by China’s strategic balance of protectionismand economic liberalism; China’s FDI policy and the regional de-velopment policy; and export-oriented growth and foreign eco-nomic policy.

Two strong features of the Chinese rapid economic develop-ment are investment-driven and export-oriented growth, basedon the Chinese government’s ability to formulate an effective in-dustrial development policy while maintaining a favourable cli-mate for foreign investment.

In order to attract FDI without threatening growth of domesticindustries, China adopted measures that include:• Regional industrial policies and export promotion strategies;• Development-oriented and sustainable FDI regimes that pro-

mote capital inflow, joint ventures between local firms and for-eign investment; and

• Adoption of coherent strategies for special economic zones.China’s SEZ experience therefore offers a viable option if care-

fully designed with African characteristics. The model of development hitherto pursued by African coun-

tries and their RECs has not successfully delivered the desireddevelopment targets for the continent to effectively rise out of theperiphery. The post-colonial African state needs to make certainradical decisions. Such decisions need not be made by others onbehalf of Africa.

It is Africa itself that needs to make these radical decisions,drawing lessons and inspiration from the experience of China andother regions of the world. Only that way can Africa take full ad-vantage of its rich resource endowment as well as its demo-graphic premium to finally break free out of the cage ofpost-colonial hegemony.

The article is drawn from a paper presented at an International Con-ference on Industrialisation in Africa hosted by the Shanghai NormalUniversity in China in June 2014.

SADCnal endeavour withels. Even the currenteviously fragmentedmostly been for pur-n the supply side as-tructure. post-colonial state ince of the former colo-ith a general patternnally to make a sig-ors such as poverty,

nc with targets whilenal economic affairs. decisions to embark

n the many compar-an abundance of re-ul population and apportunities arising

AFRICA WILL soon launchthe first continent-wide infor-mation portal on energy toallow easy access to up-to-date data.

The Africa Informationand Communication Net-work (AICN) will provideprogress of the SustainableEnergy for All (SE4ALL) Ini-tiative and as well as provideinformation on the impact ofprojects implemented underthe initiative.

Africa to launch first information portal on energySE4ALL is an initiative

launched by the United Na-tions in September 2011, focus-ing on three goals. These are: • Ensuring universal access to

modern energy services; • Doubling the global rate of

improvement in energy effi-ciency; and

• Doubling the share of re-newable energy in theglobal energy mix by 2030. Africa has taken the lead

in responding to the initia-

tive, with 44 countries fromthe continent having adoptedthe programme out of 84globally.

Member states are requiredto set up mechanisms to makeuniversal access to durablemodern energy services a pri-ority.

The SE4ALL is being coor-dinated by the NEPADAgency, the African UnionCommission and African De-velopment Bank.

NEPAD Head of Energy,Professor Mosad Elmissiry saidtimely access to essential infor-mation on the SE4ALL Initia-tive and its implementationstatus at global, regional andnational level is a powerful toolfor African stakeholders to ef-fectively plan and utilise fi-nancing opportunities that theinitiative opens up for Africa.

The information hub willalso be an important trackingtool for policy makers, in-vestors and others to gatherand provide information onsustainable energy projects inAfrica. r

SADC to explore Clean Development Mechanismtion in the region as it uses lessenergy and lasts longer thanincandescent lighting, whichis currently being used bymost SADC countries.

Solar water heaters havethe capacity to ensure the avail-ability of energy in the region.

Implementation of thesedemand side managementprogrammes has seen south-ern Africa saving about 4,561megawatts (MW) of electricitybetween 2009 and 2013.

It is envisaged that theSADC region will save morethan 6,000 MW by 2018 if suchinitiatives are implementedaccording to plan.

In this regard, SAPP utili-ties are in the process of com-piling data for the submissionof a Prior ConsiderationForms to the UNFCCC for thetwo programmatic projects onLED and Solar Water Heaters.

All SAPP utilities have in-dicated their willingness to par-ticipate in the two projects, withthe SAPP Coordination Centrebased in Harare, Zimbabwe co-ordinating the projects.

SAPP is a regional bodythat coordinates the planning,generation, transmission andmarketing of electricity on be-half of Member State utilitiesin SADC. r

A low-voltage distributionnetwork will be installed toensure that more than 4,000homes benefit from the proj-ect.

Construction of the plantbegan in late July and is ex-pected to be finalized in 2015.The project is estimated to cost406.5 billion Angolan Kwanza(about US$4.2 billion).

THE UNITED Republic of Tan-zania will soon start the secondphase of a programme to sup-ply electricity to rural areas fol-lowing the successful imple-mentation of the first phase.

The rural electrificationproject, which is being imple-mented by the Rural EnergyAgency (REA) is expected tospend 850 billion Tanzanianshillings (about US$513 mil-lion) on the second phase.

REA Project Manager, Ad-vera Mwijage, said more than17,000 customers had benefitfrom the first phase. The initialtarget was 20,000 rural cus-tomers. “When we are finaliz-ing the first phase,” she said,adding that, “we were re-ceived extra 20,000 requests.”

Mwijage said the secondphase is expected to connectover 250,000 rural customersto the national grid. REA is anautonomous body under theMinistry of Energy andMinerals. r

Tanzania sets asideUS$512 million forrural power

Towards rural electrification --Angola targets 4,000 rural homes


SOUTHERN AFRICA hasidentified two projects for con-sideration under the Clean De-velopment Mechanism (CDM).

The CDM allows a coun-try with an emission-reduc-tion or emission-limitationcommitment under the KyotoProtocol to implement anemission-reduction project indeveloping countries.

This mechanism stimu-lates sustainable develop-ment and emissionreductions, while giving in-dustrialized countries someflexibility in how they meettheir emission reduction orlimitation targets.

Following a meeting withthe Regional CollaborationCentre of the United NationsFramework Convention onClimate Change, MemberStates utilities of the SouthernAfrican Power Pool (SAPP)agreed to submit two regionalprogrammatic CDM projectsfor consideration by the UN.

These are the light-emit-ting diode (LED) and solarwater heaters. LED is a highlyenergy-efficient lighting tech-nology and has the potentialto improve the energy situa-

MORE THAN 4,000 homes areset to benefit from the ruralelectrification programmebeing implemented by Angola.

Energy and Water Minister,João Baptista Borges said thebulk of a proposed 7.5megawatt power station inCuando Cubango provincewill be aimed at benefiting therural populace.

FINAL REGIONAL estimatesindicate a 2013/14 SADC cerealsurplus of more than 670,000metric tonnes, which is a signif-icant improvement on the lastfour years when productionstagnated.

An extra-ordinary meetingof SADC Agriculture Minis-ters held in July in Lilongwe,Malawi noted that an assess-ment of the 2013/14 agricul-tural marketing seasonshowed a vast improvementin overall cereal surplus com-pared to previous years.

“Ministers noted with sat-isfaction that the 2013/2014food security situation in theregion has been stable andthe outlook for 2014/2015 isexpected to improve due to-favourable weather condi-

SADC HAS adopted a re-gional food and nutritionstrategy as the region steps upefforts to ensure that its citi-zens have access to both ade-quate and nutritional food.

The Regional Food and Nu-trition Security Strategy will beimplemented from the period2015-2025.

Its main aim is to serve as aregional mechanism to facili-tate the attainment of univer-sal physical, social andeconomic access to safe, healthand nutritious food to ensurethe wellbeing of the people ofSouthern Africa.

The strategy, adopted inJuly by ministers responsiblefor Health and Agriculture inSADC, is critical in helping theregion reduce the number ofpeople affected by extremehunger.

Under the Regional Indica-tive Strategic DevelopmentPlan (RISDP) that is currentlyunder review, SADC set itselfa target of reducing by 50 per-

cent the population affectedby extreme hunger by 2015.

The African Union target toend hunger in the continent isset for 2050, hence the strategyis critical in ensuring thatsouthern Africa is able to meetthe deadline.

As part of the strategy,SADC Member States will beexpected to promote access toindigenous foods of high nutri-tional value, including locallyavailable traditional food stuffs.

Such high nutritional valueis important, particularly forchildren. For example, goodnutrition in the first 1,000 daysof a child’s life is critical forenhancing their intellectual,physical and social growth. r

tions,” reads part of a state-ment issued by the ministersafter their meeting.

The assessment revealed thatwhile individual crops such assorghum, wheat, rice and milletrecorded some deficits, theoverall crop situation in the re-gion was satisfactory.

For example, maize – thestaple food of most countriesin the SADC region – recordeda small but significant surplusof about 326,000 tonnes for the2013/2014 marketing year.

Output of other crops suchas cassava, which is also a staplefood in parts of Angola, theDemocratic Republic of Congo,Malawi, Mozambique, theUnited Republic of Tanzaniaand Zambia, was also above re-quirements.

With regard to livestockand fisheries production, theministers said there has beenan increase, although small.

Production of meat in-creased by 2.8 percent from5.68 million tonnes in 2012 to5.84 million tonnes in 2013.

Milk and eggs productionincreased by two and threepercent to 5.18 million and0.69 million tonnes from 5.08million tonnes and 0.67 milliontonnes, respectively, over thesame period. (See table)

However, the region still re-mains a net importer of live-stock products as demandoutstrips supply, hence theministers have urged “Mem-ber States to accelerate imple-mentation of programmesaimed at increasing livestockand fisheries production.”

In this regard, the region isadopting various measures toboost production and ensurethe region is food secure.

Agriculture is the backboneof most economies in southernAfrica. For example, morethan 62 percent of the SADCregion’s 277 million people aredependent on agriculture fortheir livelihoods, according tothe SADC Secretariat.

The sector also contributesbetween four percent and 27

percent of the regional GrossDomestic Product, and about13 percent of the total exportearnings. r

Towards use ofimprovedagricultural seeds

Regional food and nutrition securitystrategy adopted

Food security improves in 2013/14

A G R I C U L T U R E


THE PROVISION of im-proved seeds is one of the keyinputs critical for increasingagricultural production andfood security in southernAfrica.

Access to improved seeds ismixed across the region due toa combination of factors, in-cluding limited access to finan-cial resources, inadequatemultiplication of foundationseeds, variations in seed regu-latory systems among coun-tries, as well as poorresearch-extension-farmer-market linkages.

For example, over 80 per-cent of farmers in South Africause improved seed varieties,while an average of about 10percent of the farmers use im-proved seeds in the rest of theMember States.

To address the challenges,the region has established theSADC Seed Security Network(SSSN) to spearhead the har-monization of policies on seeds.

At least nine countries havesince signed the MOU on theHarmonisation of Seed Regu-lations in the SADC region,paving the way for the full im-plementation of the har-monised seed system. r


supply side constraints; and lib-eralization of trade in services.

The ministers commendedMauritius for fully liberalizingall outstanding duties onSADC products and thereforecompleting its SADC tariffphase down processes.

At the beginning of this year,Mauritius became the firstSADC Member State to removecustoms duty on all products

Botswana, Lesotho,Namibia, Swaziland andMozambique currently enjoyduty-free and quota-free ac-cess to the EU on a temporarybasis provided for in the EU's"Market Access Regulation".

This free access was set to ex-pire on 1 October 2014 becausethese countries have not ratifiedthe interim agreement they ne-gotiated with the EU in 2007.

However, the newly con-cluded regional agreementwill replace an existing interimagreement and free access tothe EU is based on this newagreement.

The members of the SADCEPA group will continue beingable to shield sensitive sectorsfrom European competitors intheir domestic market.

Under the agreement, theEU has taken a commitment to

refrain from subsidising itsagricultural exports to the re-gion.

The finalised text of theagreement is now going to bepresented for signature andratification according to thedomestic procedures of eachcountry.

The SADC EPA Group con-sists of six of the 15 SADCMember States as mentionedabove. The other eight coun-tries are negotiating in otherregional EPA configurations.

Madagascar, Mauritius, theSeychelles, Zambia and Zim-babwe concluded an interimEPA with the EU at the end of2007 and went ahead to sign itin August 2009 in Mauritius.

These countries have nowtaken and completed steps to-wards ratification so that theagreement can be applied.

SEYCHELLES HAS submit-ted a tariff offer that spells outhow the Indian Ocean islandnation proposes to phase-down its tariffs in line with theSADC Free Trade Area.

The Committee of Ministersof Trade meeting in Gaborone,Botswana in July approvedSeychelles’ tariff offer regard-ing accession to the Protocol onTrade.

The tariff offer signalled theSeychelles’ readiness to jointhe SADC FTA.

The country is preparing theInstruments of Accession andImplementation in order to fi-nalize the process. This willbring to 13 the number ofMember States that are fullyparticipating in the SADC FTA.

Two other countries, An-gola and the Democratic Re-public of Congo, have saidthey will join the FTA later,and they requested time to re-build their economies follow-ing years of armed conflict.

The SADC Free Trade Areawas launched in 2008 when 85percent of intra-regional tradeamong the participating Mem-ber States attained zero duty.

Maximum tariff liberaliza-tion was attained in January2012 when the tariff phase-down process for productsfrom participating MemberStates’ sensitive list categorieswas completed.

The current focus of theFTA is its consolidation.

An Action Plan Matrix onthe Consolidation of the SADCFTA adopted by Ministers ofTrade in August 2010 providesfor a programme that, amongother activities, entails address-ing outstanding tariff phase-down commitments; removalof non-tariff barriers; facilitat-ing accession to the Protocol byall countries; resolving prob-lems relating to rules of origin;customs and trade facilitationmatters; standards, quality andtechnical regulatory matters;

SADC, EU reach EPA agreement NEGOTIATIONS BETWEENthe European Union andSADC on an Economic Part-nership Agreement (EPA)were concluded in July whenthe two parties reached agree-ment.

The agreement between theEU and some SADC countrieswill open a long-term perspec-tive of duty- and quota-freeaccess to the EU market forproducts from Botswana,Lesotho, Mozambique,Namibia and Swaziland,while South Africa will tradewith the EU on the basis of im-proved conditions that buildon the existing EU-SouthAfrica Trade, Developmentand Cooperation Agreement.

The EU will, in turn, gainimproved access to the SADCEPA market, particularly foragriculture.

imported from elsewhere inSADC as part of efforts to im-prove intra-regional trade.Ac-cording to the MauritiusChamber of Commerce and In-dustry, all products importedfrom SADC countries are nowduty-free from 1 January 2014.

To qualify for duty exemp-tion, all goods must be accom-panied by a valid SADCcertificate of origin.

The ministers requested theMember States who have notsigned the Protocol on Trade inServices to do so by the 34thSummit of SADC Heads ofState and Government to beheld in August in VictoriaFalls, Zimbabwe.

They also called on thosewho have not ratified the Pro-tocol to initiate the requisiteprocesses.

Progressive liberalization oftrade in services is providedfor in the Protocol on Trade inServices which was signed inAugust 2012.

Negotiations under thisProtocol commenced in 2012and completion is set for April2015, to agree on nationalschedules of commitments onmarket access and nationaltreatment covering initially sixpriority sectors of communica-tion, construction, energy, fi-nancial, tourism and transportservices. r

Seychelles ready to join SADC FTA

T R A D E

P E A C E & S E C U R I T Y

THE SADC region will host thesecond African Standby Forcetraining exercise that is sched-uled for Lesotho in October.

Preparations started in Au-gust 2013 for the continental ex-ercise whose main objective isto test the deployment readi-ness of the African StandbyForce (ASF), with particularfocus on the ability of the RapidDeployment Capability to de-ploy within 14 days of a deci-sion by the relevant authorities.

The training exercise willplay a significant role in eval-uating the readiness of theASF to respond swiftly to en-suing conflicts unhamperedby any heavy political and in-strumental burdens.

The exercise, codenamedAmani Africa II, follows thesuccessful completion of thefirst continental exercise of thiskind that was held in October2010 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The ASF is expected toconsist of five brigades builtaround the capacities of re-gional economic communi-ties such as SADC.

The SADC Standby Forceis one of the brigades, withothers being the Eastern

THE SADC Standby Force was officially launched at the SADCSummit of Heads of State and Government in Lusaka on 17August 2007.

Consisting of military, police and civilian components, theforce will rely on resources pledged by Member States on astandby arrangement.

The mandate of the SADC Standby Force is fairly wide andcovers:• Observation and monitoring missions;• Peace Support Operations;• Interventions at the request of a Member State to restore

peace and security;• Preventative deployment (in order to stop the escalation of

a conflict, or to prevent a conflict from spilling over intoneighbouring states);

• Peace-building in a post-conflict situation (includingdisarmament and demobilisation);

• Humanitarian missions in aid of civilians (conflict or naturaldisaster related); and

• Any other functions as may be authorised by the SADCSummit. r

African Standby Force, theEconomic Community of WestAfrican States Standby Force,the Economic Community ofCentral African States StandbyForce and the North Africa Re-gional Capacity.

The plan is that the forceshould be operational by 1January 2016.

The standby multidiscipli-nary contingents will be sta-tioned in their countries of

SADC to start implementing the Revised SIPO

origin and be ready to be de-ployed immediately when theneed arises.

Once fully operational, theASF should,therefore, signifi-cantly strengthen the ability ofAfrica to intervene in crisesand conflict situations and fa-cilitate the promotion ofAfrican solutions to Africanproblems.

Amani Africa means “Peacein Africa” in Kiswahili. r

SADC to host African Standby Force training exercise

Amani Africa Peace in Africa

tics, defence and security co-operation, and was first devel-oped in 2003.

The plan covers five keysectors -- politics, defence,state security, public securityand police.

The core objective of SIPO isto create a peaceful and stablepolitical and security environ-ment through which the regionwill realise its objectives ofsocio-economic development,

poverty eradication, andregional integration.

Followingthe official launch of

the Revised SIPO inNovember 2012 in

Arusha, United Repub-lic of Tanzania, the

SADC Secretariat is in theprocess of developing theSIPO Implementation Plan tofacilitate the operationaliza-tion of the revised plan.

The implementation planhas since been submitted tothe Ministerial Committee ofthe Organ for consideration inJuly 2014.

Approval by Heads of Stateand Government is expectedto be made at the 34th SADCSummit in August in VictoriaFalls, Zimbabwe.

The plan presents, amongother things, the mechanismsto build a common under-standing and ownership by allrelevant stakeholders of theRevised SIPO.

SADC IS in the process of de-veloping an implementationplan for the Strategic Indica-tive Plan for the Organ on Pol-itics, Defence and SecurityCooperation (SIPO).

SIPO is a five-year strategicdocument that establishesSADC`s institutional frame-work for policy coordinationand implementation in poli-


Since its adoption in 2003, anumber of achievements havebeen realised under the aus-pices of SIPO, and these in-clude: • Facilitation of cooperation

among SADC MemberStates in various defenceand security areas;

• Enabling SADC to developthe SADC Mutual DefencePact;

• Strengthening of regionalcommitment towards collec-tive self-defence and thepreservation of peace andsecurity in the regionthrough the establishmentof the SADC Standby Force;

• Immensely contributed tothe promotion and advance-ment of police cooperationin the region through the in-tegration of the SouthernAfrican Regional PoliceChiefs Cooperation Organi-sation into the Inter-StateDefence and Security Com-mittee;

• Enabled the establishmentof Regional Early WarningCentre, which is tasked withhelping to anticipate, pre-vent and manage conflicts;and

• Establishment of the SADCElectoral Advisory Counciland a mediation unit,which are institutions deal-ing with political gover-nance and the observationof elections. r


E L E C T I O N S

the Mozambique DemocraticMovement (MDM).

However, a total of 11 polit-ical parties, including the Patri-otic Movement for Democracy,Union Party for Reconciliation,Social Democratic Party, andIndependent Party, will partic-

THE GENERAL elections inMozambique will produce anew president for the country,the fourth since independence,as incumbent President Ar-mando Guebuza is standingdown after serving his secondand last term.

According to the Mozam-bique Constitutional Council(CNE), only three of the 11presidential candidates met therequirements to contest for thepresidency.

These include Filipe Nyussiof the ruling Frelimo party;Afonso Dhlakama, leader ofthe former rebel movement Re-namo; and Daviz Simango of

Botswana gears up for elections

Mozambique to elect new President

PRESIDENT IAN Khama hasset 24 October as the date forelections to choose members ofparliament and announcedthat parliament would be dis-solved on 29 August.

A number of parties includ-ing the ruling Botswana Dem-ocratic Party (BDP), BotswanaCongress Party (BCP) andBotswana Alliance Movement(BAM) plan to take part in theelections widely expected tosee many new candidates, in-cluding a larger proportion ofwomen.

With the regional target of50 percent women by 2015, theBotswana government and po-litical parties are encouragingthe nomination of women can-didates. Women make up 55percent of the electorate inBotswana.

The ruling BDP led byKhama has promised tobroaden and diversify theeconomy through agriculturaldevelopment and manufactur-ing.

The Botswana Parliamenthas 63 seats, of which 57 arefilled through direct votes.There are four seats reservedfor the majority party in Parlia-ment, while the President andAttorney General are ex-officiomembers.

According to the Independ-ent Electoral Commission ofBotswana, a total of 823,306people are registered to voteagainst total eligible voters ofmore than 1.4 million.

Botswana uses a con-stituency electoral system offirst-past-the-post for the elec-tion of Members of Parliament.

Elected Members of Parlia-ment then act as an electoralcollege to choose the President.

In the past election held in2009, BDP won 45 seats againstfour for BCP, one for BAM andsix for the Botswana NationalFront. The remaining seat wentto an independent candidate.

A total of seven parties and15 independent candidatestook part in the 2009 elections.

In an address in which heannounced plans to dissolveParliament, Khama urged po-litical parties to give an oppor-tunity to the people to exercisetheir right to elect a govern-ment of their choice.

“It is the electorate alonewho, by casting of their ballots,give our governmental institu-tions their life and legitimacy,”he said. r

ipate in the presidential andparliamentary elections, ac-cording to the CNE.

Close to 10.9 million peoplehave registered to vote, a figureslightly lower than the 12.2 mil-lion potential voters projectedby the National Institute of Sta-

FOLLOWING THE successful holding of elections in Malawi and South Africain May, southern Africa is set for another round as three more countries prepareto hold elections later this year. These are Mozambique and Botswana on 15 Oc-tober and 24 October, respectively, and Namibia in November. This article willfocus on the first two elections, in Botswana and Mozambique.

tistics. The number representsabout 89 percent of the popula-tion above 18 years of age.

Guebuza has called forpeace before, during and afterthe elections, and has urgedFrelimo and Renamo to ur-gently conclude a deal to endthe hostility that has seen mili-tias aligned to the rebelmovement clashing with gov-ernment forces.

The Frelimo candidate,Nyussi, has already pledged tobring an end to instability, say-ing “peace is not [about] usingweapons to resolve the differ-ences between people.”

Nyussi, who is currently de-fence minister, has pledged tocontinue to implement the poli-cies of the outgoing govern-ment.

Mozambique uses a propor-tional representation electoralsystem by province for electionto parliament. The candidateelected as President must gar-ner more than 50 percent of thevalid votes and, if no candidatereceives more than 50 percentof the votes cast, a run-off elec-tion is held between the twoleading candidates.

Frelimo, which is the liber-ation movement that foughtfor independence of the coun-try from Portugal, has neverlost an election since inde-pendence in 1975. In the lastnational election held in 2009,Guebuza won the presidentialelection with 77 percent of thevalid votes cast while theparty got more than two-thirds majority in parliament.

Frelimo secured 192 parlia-mentary seats in the NationalAssembly out of a total of 250seats, while Renamo came sec-ond with 48 seats and MDMgot eight seats. Mozambiquehas the third highest propor-tion of women in parliamentamong SADC Member states,with 39.2 percent. r

Botswana and Mozambique prepare for elections


August-October 2014

August 17-18, Zimbabwe 34th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government

SADC leaders will meet to discuss regional integration anddevelopment, preceded by meeting of senior officials andthe Council of Ministers. The theme for the summit is SADCStrategy for Economic Transformation: Leveraging the Re-gion’s Diverse Resources for Sustainable Economic and So-cial Development through Beneficiation and ValueAddition. At the Summit, Zimbabwe President Robert Mu-gabe will assume the SADC chair.

25-29, 43rd SAPP MeetingsMozambique Heads of power utilities and energy experts from southern

Africa will meet in the Mozambican capital, Maputo to as-sess the electricity situation in the region. The meetings willconsider the measures being undertaken by Member Statesto address a power shortage in the region.

TBA Southern African Regional Climate Outlook ForumScientists from national meteorological services in SADCMember States will meet to review the regional climate out-look, using indicators of seasonal rainfall to produce a re-gional forecast for the 2014/15 rainfall season.

September 31 Aug-5 Sep, World Water Week 2014: Energy and WaterSweden World Water Week provides a unique forum for the ex-

change of views, experiences and practices between thescientific, business, policy and civic communities, as wellas new thinking for positive action toward water-relatedchallenges and impact on the environment, health, climate,economic and poverty reduction.

8-12, Angola Congress of Association of Power Utilities in Africa (APUA)The congress will see power utilities from across Africameeting to deliberate on how they could improve opera-tions and contribute towards socio-economic developmentof the continent.

21-23, Zimbabwe COP11 Regional Preparatory and Negotiation Workshopfor AfricaThis is a preparatory meeting for national focal points heldahead of the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties(COP11) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migra-tory Species of Wild Animals.

23, New York Climate SummitThe summit will serve as a public forum for leaders fromUnited Nations member states, as well as financial, busi-ness and civil society leaders to discuss activities and pos-sible solution to address challenges posed by climatechange.

TBA, Botswana SADC Energy Thematic GroupThe Energy Thematic Group is a coordination meeting ofcooperating partners, experts, SADC and its subsidiary or-ganizations to discuss ways of assisting the region in tack-ling its energy challenges.

October 8-10, Namibia 3rd Global Large Marine Ecosystems Conference

Bringing together international leaders in ecosystem-basedmanagement, the conference aims to provide a platform forcountries to share experiences in mitigation and adaptationpolicies, particularly for ecosystems under stress from cli-mate change.

15, Mozambique General Elections MozambiqueMozambicans will go to the polls on 15 October to choosenew leaders including president and members of the Na-tional Assembly for the next five years.

E V E N T S

SADC TODAY Vol 16 No 5 August 2014

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAYis produced as a reference source of

activities and opportunities in the Southern African Development Community, and a guide for

decision-makers at all levels of national and regional development.

Southern African Development CommunitySADC Secretariat, SADC House, Private Bag 0095,

Gaborone, BotswanaTel +267 395 1863 Fax +267 397 2848/318 1070

E-mail [email protected] Website www.sadc.int

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is published six times a year by the Southern AfricanResearch and Documentation Centre (SARDC) for the SADC Secretariat in Gaborone,Botswana, as a reliable knowledge source on regional development. Articles may bereproduced freely in the media and elsewhere, with attribution.

EDITORMunetsi Madakufamba

EDITORIAL COMMITTEEJoseph Ngwawi, Kizito Sikuka, Egline Tauya, Admire Ndhlovu,Phyllis Johnson, Danai Majaha, Shirley Pisirai, Anesu Ngadya

EDITORIAL ADVISOR

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is supported by the Austrian Development Agency, insupport of the SADC Energy Thematic Group of International Cooperating Partners,which is co-chaired by Austria.

© SADC, SARDC, 2014

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY welcomes contributions from individuals and or-ganizations within the SADC region in form of articles, photographs, news items andcomments, and also relevant articles from outside the region. The publishers reservethe right to select or reject items, and to edit to fit the space available. The contentsdo not necessarily reflect the official positions or opinions of SADC or SARDC.

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is published in English, Portuguese and French, andis available electronically at www.sardc.net Knowledge for Development, linkedto www.sadc.int

DESIGN & LAYOUTTonely Ngwenya, Anisha Madanhi

PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONSP1 lusakatimes.com, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority; P4 SADC Secretariat;

P6 wordpress.com, skyscrapercity.com, panoramio.com; P7 www.anonscope.com,SARDC; P8 wordpress.com; P9 gomdwireless.com, diamond.co.za,

sagoldpanning.com; P11 herald.co.zw, thevillager.com.na; P12 wikipedia.org; P13 forums.ssrc.org; P14 news.yahoo.com; P16 SADC Secretariat, republikein.com.na

Subscribe todaySOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is available through an annual subscription fee forsix issues a year: US$55 outside Africa, including postage; US$40 within Africa; andUS$30 in southern Africa. Your subscription will enable you to receive the newslet-ter by airmail or email. For more details, please contact the Editor.

Comments and contributions should be sent [email protected]

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H I S T O R Y T O D A Y

A Candle on Kilimanjaro

“We, the people of Tanganyika,would like to light a candle and putit on top of Mount Kilimanjaro whichwould shine beyond our borders,giving hope where there was despair,love where there was hate anddignity where there was before onlyhumiliation.” Mwalimu Julius Nyerere to TanganyikaLegislative Assembly, Dar es Salaam, 22October 1959

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN SADCAugust-October 2014

A shared future within a regional community

THE SOUTHERN Africa Development Coordination Conference(SADCC), precursor to SADC, was established on 1 April 1980,when nine leaders of majority-ruled states in southern Africaadopted the Lusaka Declaration – Southern Africa: TowardsEconomic Liberation. The founding Member States were Angola,Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Swaziland,Zambia and Zimbabwe. Namibia became the tenth member uponthe attainment of its independence in 1990. r

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) wasestablished on 17 August 1992 when the 10 Member States signed theDeclaration, Treaty and Protocol in Windhoek, Namibia. The Treatywas ratified by Member States in September 1993. This was based onthe conclusion by Heads of State and Government that politicalindependence was almost complete in the region. They pledged in thenew Treaty to “strengthen and consolidate the longstanding historical,social and cultural affinities and links among the people of the region.”South Africa signed and acceded to the Treaty after the majorityelections that ended apartheid in 1994. Mauritius joined in 1995,Seychelles in 1997, and Madagascar in 2005.

1 August Parents Day DRC4 August Farmers Day Zambia 8 August Nane Nane Peasant Day Tanzania9 August National Women’s Day South Africa 11 August Heroes Day Zimbabwe12August Defence Forces Day Zimbabwe 15 August Assumption Day Madagascar, Mauritius,

Seychelles 17 August SADC Day* All26 August Heroes Day Namibia 30 August Ganesh Chaturthi Mauritius

1 September Umhlanga Reed Dance Swaziland6 September Somhlolo Independence Day Swaziland17 September National Heroes Day Angola24 September Heritage Day South Africa25 September Armed Forces Day Mozambique30 September Botswana Day Botswana

4 October Peace and National Reconciliation Day Mozambique

4 October Independence Day Lesotho14 October Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Day Tanzania15 October Mother’s Day Malawi15 October Election Day Mozambique24 October Election Day Botswana24 October Independence Day Zambia

* SADC Day is not a public holiday but a commemoration of signing the SADC Treaty on17 August 1992

years 1980 – 201434

President H Pohamba of Namibia, host of the 30th SADC Summit in2010, with recipients of the SADC Seretse Khama Medal – formerPresident of Zambia, K Kaunda (left); former President of Namibia, SNujoma; and former Executive Secretary of the OAU LiberationCommittee, Brig Gen Hashim Mbita. First recipient of the Khama medalwas the founding President of Tanzania, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere in 1985.

Back from left: Dick Matenje, representative of Malawi; Robert Mugabe, PrimeMinister-designate of independent Zimbabwe; Rt Hon. Prince Mabandla Dlamini,Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Swaziland; Hon. Mooki Vitus Molapo, Minister ofTrade and Tourism, Kingdom of Lesotho. Front from left: H.E. José Eduardo dosSantos, President of Angola; H.E. Sir Seretse Khama, founding President of Botswana;H.E. Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda, founding President of Zambia; H.E. Samora MoisesMachel, founding President of Mozambique; H.E. Mwalimu Julius K Nyerere, foundingPresident of the United Republic of Tanzania

Resetting SADC priorities – RISDP review · the Regional Indicative Strategic Develop-ment Plan...

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Transcript of Resetting SADC priorities – RISDP review · the Regional Indicative Strategic Develop-ment Plan...