adminSADC Day message by the then Sadc Chairperson, His Excellency, President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, issued on August 17, 2015
Fellow Sadc citizens, AS Chairman of Sadc, I feel humbled, and yet greatly honoured, to present the 2015 Sadc Day Message.When the Founding Fathers realised that their Coordination Conference had served the region well, and that it had demonstrated the crucial need to cooperate in their development efforts, time had come to give the organisation a new legal status, with a new and clear regional development and integration agenda.
Accordingly, on 17th of August 1992, in Windhoek, The Southern African Development Coordination Conference (Sadcc), was transformed into Southern African Development Community, (Sadc).
Since then, member-states have encouraged the people of the region to participate fully in the implementation of the Sadc programmes and projects.
The Sadc vision is one of a common future, within a regional community, which ensures economic well-being, improvement of the standards of living, quality of life, freedom and social justice; peace and security for all the peoples of Southern Africa.
Our people should always be at the centre of all that we do as member-states.
Indeed, one of the key objectives of Sadc is “to promote sustainable and equitable growth and socio-economic development that should ensure poverty alleviation, with the ultimate objective of total poverty eradication.”
Sadc also seeks to enhance the standard and quality of life of the people of Southern Africa.
Through our joint initiatives, our organisation has sought to put into place necessary frameworks for Sadc regional integration.
The Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) and the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (Sipo) constitute the basis for effective and co-ordinated implementation of development programmes, in different sectors, across the entire region.
Programmes have been reviewed, from time-to-time, in order to adapt them to the realities and emerging challenges on the ground.
Fellow Sadc citizens,
As we commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Sadc Day, we must take pride in that our region is the most stable in Africa.
It has gained this reputation through team work, with a common resolve.
We must never give up our search for lasting peace in any part of the region.
I, therefore, wish to commend ourselves for working tirelessly in providing rapid responses to emerging political and security challenges in our region, through the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.
Our strength lies in that, as a grouping, we have a common history, shared ideals, and a common future.
Today, some countries continue to express their intention to join our group, which is a clear indication of the good reputation that our organisation has built over the years.
In our endeavour to build a stable and prosperous Sadc, we should always emulate the revolutionary spirit and principled stance of the Founding Fathers of our organisation.
We should never forget that our people made huge sacrifices for us to become today the masters of our own destiny.
Fellow Sadc citizens,
Our region is endowed with abundant and diverse natural resources, which, instead of being sold in raw form, at very low prices, must, instead, be exploited and beneficiated, in order to add value to our exports.
Value addition and beneficiation is critical, because the process should assist us in our efforts to industrialise, and in turn, increase employment opportunities for our people.
In line with the theme that we adopted in August 2014, “Sadc Strategy for Economic Transformation: Leveraging the Region’s Diverse Resources for Sustainable Economic and Social Development through Beneficiation and Value Addition,” the region, in April, 2015, in Harare, approved the Sadc Industrialisation Strategy and Road Map, which is intended to bring about socio-economic and technological transformation of the region.
The Regional Industrialisation Strategy is driven by national development strategies, visions and plans, and primarily by the Sadc Treaty, the revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2015 – 2020, and the Sadc Protocols, and specifically, by the Industrial Development Policy Framework (IDPF).
It is also informed by the African Union’s Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa and Agenda 2063.
The strategy is anchored on three pillars, namely: Industrialisation as a champion of economic and technological transformation; competitiveness as an active process to move from comparative advantage to competitive edges; and, regional integration and geography as the context for industrial development and economic prosperity.
Fellow Sadc citizens,
I am confident that the strategy, if implemented effectively, has the potential of unlocking opportunities beyond our borders, resulting in sustainable economic growth and development.
As we implement the strategy, it is imperative to develop sectors that enhance the effectiveness of this strategy.
Infrastructure is one such area.
As Sadc, we already have the Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP), approved in Maputo, Mozambique, in August, 2012. It is imperative that Sadc works out effective financial mechanisms to fund the regional industrialisation strategy and the Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan.
In this regard, we need to take clear decisions relating to priorities of our projects, the marketing to investors, and progressive financial modalities.
Fellow Sadc citizens,
As we pursue our industrialisation agenda, we must be mindful of the fact that our women and the youth are the backbone of our economies, particularly in the micro, small and medium enterprises sector.
They are, without doubt, our future.
We must strike a balance between development and inclusiveness, both between and within the Sadc member-states.
Our resolve to strengthen and increase cooperation with other regional institutions has grown stronger. Sadc is reaching out to other regional economic communities such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) and the East African Community (EAC) in order to create a wider market.
We are delighted to note that the Comesa-EAC-Sadc Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) was launched on 10th June, 2015, in Sharm EI Sheikh, Egypt, during the 3rd Tripartite Summit of Heads of State and Government.
The prospect of an expanded market and the exploitation of our comparative advantage within the tripartite arrangement can only stimulate intra-Africa trade and lend itself to a multiplier effect on our earnings. We anticipate increased economic activities that should result in enhanced employment opportunities.
Fellow Sadc citizens,
Let’s double our efforts to make Sadc a prosperous and peaceful region as we, at the same time, continue to accelerate the political and socio-economic development of our region.
I wish you a happy, healthy and productive Sadc Day.
Long live Sadc.
Long live our Unity.
Long live our solidarity .
I thank you.
Online Reporter