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The Herald, July 20, 1981
WITHOUT economic independence, Africa will not be “truly free”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Witness Mangwende, said last night.
Speaking at a reception for the ministers attending the summit meeting of the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference which opens in Salisbury this morning, the minister urged African states to strive towards economic Independence.
“Africa has now come full circle and we need to be economically independent as well. It is not only political independence the welfare and well-being of our people.”
To loud applause the minister added: “This is why SADCC is important and I am sure after the meeting we will all proceed to implement the decisions that we take at this conference.”
He emphasised the need to implement last year’s Lagos Plan of Action by Africa’s foreign ministers to make the continent economically independent of the big powers.
Dr Mangwende told the reception that as far as the Zimbabwean Government was concerned, SADCC was a step in the “right direction” in implementing the Lagos Plan.
“Africa must try and rectify its past mistakes and become self-reliant. This is very important. I think there can be no doubt at all in our minds that we must increase our economic pace of development.”
He added that through SADCC, countries in the region should be able to trade among themselves “before we do so with anyone else outside Africa”.
“You know that inter-African trade is very small at the moment. We should increase it among ourselves. We must also be in control of the commanding heights of our economy by the end of this decade,” he said.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
Economic independence refers to a country’s ability to chart its economic destiny, to set well-thought out economic priorities, and to provide the framework, rules, and environment that will allow its citizens to freely pursue economic activities in a way that promotes growth and well-being for all.
The Second Republic is promoting economic growth and development through engaging in major projects across the country in line with the President’s call – ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’.
On a continental scale, the country is part of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, which will create the largest free trade area in the world measured by the number of countries participating.
The pact connects 1,3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) valued at US$3,4 trillion. It has the potential to lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty.
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