SADC identifies priority intervention areas

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has identified 12 main intervention areas which include poverty eradication, trade liberalisation, infrastructure development, sustainable food security and HIV and AIDS, as well as cross-cutting issues such as gender, environment and information and communication technologies that will drive the region's integration and development agenda until 2015. The intervention areas are contained in SADC's 15-year blueprint, the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) adopted by the heads of state and government in 2003. Addressing journalists ahead of the SADC Council of Ministers meeting in Gaborone, Botswana, principal economist, Angelo Mondlane, noted that without these areas, regional integration cannot be achieved and that has the potential to slow down sustainable development. "We are not saying that regional integration is an end in itself but a means to an end," he said. The economist added that regional integration is a "means through which our countries can achieve accelerated growth rates and development". Mondlane said regional integration was a long and winding process that took on board various critical issues to be dealt with by member states as they moved towards agreed long term objectives. For instance, he explained that before SADC could create a common market in 2015, it had to transit through a free trade area in 2008, and a customs union in 2010. "Some people may be asking how far we have gone with implementation. It's too early. RISDP is due for assessment in April," said Mondlane with reference to when SADC will complete its first implementation year. He said initial delays in rolling out the RISDP had been caused by the need to clearly define the implementation plan of the development strategy. The RISDP and Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (SIPO) are SADC's two strategy documents that realign the regional community's priorities, articulate its policies and set short to long term development targets. Mondlane said SADC Secretariat spent the first two years unbundling the RISDP into smaller packages that are easier to implement and monitor. An implementation plan was put in place in 2004 with three five-year plans. The first five-year plan covering the period 2005-09 was further broken down into yearly business plans, defining short term milestones and resource needs. With reference to the free movement of people, Mondlane said people should be understood as a factor of production which should combine freely with other factors to stimulate regional development. It is therefore not necessary to focus too much on the issue of economic refugees moving from one country to another. SADC ministers are expected to meet as council from 23-24 February in Botswana's capital, Gaborone. The Council of Ministers, which meets twice a year, is responsible for supervising and monitoring the functions and development of SADC and insuring that policies are properly implemented. Preparatory meetings started last Friday with the finance sub-committee which finalised its report on 19 February. Senior officials are meeting Monday to Wednesday to prepare the agenda for the ministers, usually from foreign affairs, international cooperation, economic development and planning or finance. sardc.net Source: AllAfrica

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