Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, Victoria Falls Reporter
FINANCE Ministers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are set to convene today in Victoria Falls for a crucial indaba aimed at reviewing the financial year, strengthening trade ties, and fostering regional economic integration.
The high-level gathering follows three days of intensive technical discussions by senior officials from SADC treasuries and central banks, who have been laying the groundwork for the ministers’ deliberations.
The meetings are being held under the theme: “Promoting innovation to unlock opportunities for sustained economic growth and development towards an industrialised SADC.”
The summit comes at a pivotal time as the region seeks to bolster economic stability, enhance policy co-ordination, and drive inclusive growth among member states.
In an interview with Zimpapers yesterday, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) and Co-Chair of the SADC Senior Officials Committee, Dr Innocent Matshe, spoke on the significance of the discussions.
“Today (yesterday) we had very constructive and fruitful meetings, putting together the agenda for the Ministers tomorrow from the SADC region. The idea here is for the SADC region to work as one, to craft policies that will drive the empowerment of our people in the region and grow our economies,” he said.
He said that the senior officials had reviewed reports from technical committees and would now deliberate on key outcomes to shape policy positions going forward.
“We have received reports from the technical meetings, from the experts, and now we are going to deliberate on those outcomes to ensure we begin developing the reviews and policy positions moving forward,” he said.
The Finance Ministers’ meeting is expected not only to assess the region’s economic performance over the past year but also to strategise on deeper integration and policy harmonisation.
“The decisions will be made tomorrow — not only reviews of what has transpired over the year, but also planning for the further enhancement of integration and co-ordination of our policies in the region,” he said.
Key areas of focus include financial inclusion, economic stability and monetary policy alignment to ensure sustainable growth.
“We want to ensure that issues of inclusion, growth and stability — economic, financial and monetary — are anchored in the realities of our economies,” he said.
The meeting will be officially opened by Zimbabwe’s Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Professor Mthuli Ncube, who currently chairs the SADC Finance Ministers’ Forum.
“The meeting tomorrow will be opened by the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Professor Mthuli Ncube. He is the chair and will oversee the programme. Not because Zimbabwe is special, but because Zimbabwe is a key component and member of SADC, and we are the host this time around,” said Dr Matshe.
The meeting is also expected to feature contributions from central bank governors, who will play a critical role in shaping the region’s monetary policy frameworks.
“We hope that the central bank governors attending will also play a key role in crafting monetary policy going forward,” he said.
The Victoria Falls meeting underscores SADC’s commitment to fostering closer economic collaboration amid global uncertainties, including fluctuating commodity prices, climate-related challenges and geopolitical tensions.
By aligning fiscal and monetary policies, the region aims to enhance trade, investment, and financial resilience.
Zimbabwe’s hosting of this key forum reaffirms its role as an active participant in regional economic governance. —
@nyeve14
