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Muchadura Dube recently in VICTORIA FALLS
THE evolution of the then Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) to Southern African Development Community (SADC) was a key transitional era for the region as it pronounced its key agenda as being an instrument for economic transformation of its citizens in the 15 member states’ political and economic bloc.
The SADC region had successfully acquired political autonomy which left its leadership with the onerous responsibility of prosecuting the economic liberation agenda.
The 34th SADC Heads of State and Government Summit which was held in Zimbabwe’s prime resort town, Victoria Falls, under the theme: “SADC Strategy for Economic Transformation-Leveraging the Region’s Resources for Sustainable Economic and Social Development through Beneficiation and Value Addition”, sums up the mood and intention of the region’s leadership as that of deepening economic integration among member states, the hope being that positive economic benefits have to reach the respective countries’ grassroots.
That mere transformation and giant leap to economic emancipation needs assertive leadership which is bold and resolute.
For SADC, it is a privileged region which still has leaders in the mould of an African luminary, President Mugabe, who has the experience and, indeed, the intellect to fashion the new economic path which the region has unanimously agreed to pursue.
The new chairperson of SADC, President Mugabe, is a veteran of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle and helped the region to achieve total political freedom and the sustenance of peace. The Zimbabwean leader has also spearheaded the now renowned economic transformation and empowerment schemes of his country. The SADC region needs such foresight at this critical juncture of its developmental path.
That the summit theme emphasised on the need by the region to enter the realm of beneficiation and value addition demonstrates the leadership’s thrust on ensuring that the SADC region becomes a competitive economic entity.
The economic principle in the regional leadership’s envisaged dream is futuristic, which is ample evidence of a leadership that recognises that there is posterity which needs to utilise the resources which exist today.
SADC can only compete with other regions elsewhere if it adds value to its vast deposits of mineral resources which remain untapped. There is an important observation which the current SADC chairman, President Mugabe, immediately observed, namely the need for the whole region to tap from South Africa’s vast experience and expertise in the industrial arena.
South Africa remains a key player in the transformation of the entire economic bloc from being a net exporter of raw resources to a net exporter of refined goods which attract high prices on the global market.
The SADC region affirms this ambition in its operational initiatives, the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RIDP) and the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO) whose frameworks form the agenda for the region’s economic integration through consistent and comprehensive programme of long-term economic and social policies.
The programme to change the economic status of the entire region to a competitive global force can only be possible if the member states remain committed to the cardinal elements of acceptable global standards of governance in the political, social and economic spheres.
The Victoria Falls summit was attended by 13 Heads of State and Government with the remaining two being represented by Vice Presidents, Guy Scott of Zambia and Dr Manuel Domingo Vicente of Angola, a sign that the SADC leadership is ready to ensure that the economic freedom call by its member states’ citizens in their lifetime becomes a reality.
The presence of 13 Heads of State and Government at the summit was refreshing as it shows the region’s determination to close ranks in its fight to eliminate poverty and social ills bedevilling the region.
As espoused in the Communiqué of the 34th Summit of Heads of State and Government which encouraged the few remnants of conflict in the region in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Madagascar and the Kingdom of Lesotho to continue exploring for viable options to having lasting peace in their respective countries, economic growth is inevitable in such conditions where peace and security are omnipresent.
It is encouraging that the new leaders of Madagascar and Malawi, Hery Rajaonarimapianina and Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, re-affirmed their governments’ commitment to the SADC political, regional integration and development agenda. A united SADC has potential to open new horizons of economic excellence, the only route which SADC citizens expect from their leadership.
The conducive political environment can only spur the new chairman of SADC, President Mugabe, to then expedite the economic revolution which the region anticipates.
The days of Europe and the West’s economic hegemony are numbered. That unequal relationship which has been the order of the day should be replaced by a new dispensation which recognises the region and indeed the continent as equal partners. The region needs to lobby for equal status in its developmental association with the outside world.
That the African Union Commission chairperson, Dr Nkosazana Dhlamini Zuma, addressed the Summit expressing the African Union’s commitment to work with SADC in mutual areas is an indication of a region whose priorities meet international best practices.
At this stage of the SADC region’s developmental trajectory, the wise counsel of President Mugabe will catapult the region to new heights of economic development. Certainly, the body language of the leadership at the Summit exuded optimism in the leadership of the revolutionary Zimbabwean legend, the iconic statesman, His Excellency, President Mugabe. Is it not refreshing and reassuring to all Zimbabweans how this great nation has transformed from being on the SADC agenda just a few years ago to being the undisputable leader of the region? May God continue to abundantly bless Zimbabwe and indeed the region!
Muchadura Dube is a Nyanga- based farmer and political commentator.
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