Magufuli lists Sadc hurdles as he hands over chair

Dar es Salaam. Despite recording a number of achievements, the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) member states still have a long way to go in realising the dreams of the bloc’s founding fathers.

The main objectives of the Sadc - which was established in 1980 by the nine countries of Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho and Eswatini - are to achieve economic development, peace and security; alleviate poverty, and enhance the standard of quality of life of the Sadc peoples.

But, President John Magufuli said yesterday that a majority of the 350 million people of the now 16-nation bloc were still grappling with the challenges of poverty, unemployment and hunger, despite being endowed with abundant natural resources like fertile land, minerals, forests and water.

This is attributed to low intra-regional trade, which currently stands at 25 percent of the total trade with the rest of the world, said the outgoing Sadc chairman, who handed over the chair to the Mozambique President, Felipe Nyusi, yesterday.

Dr Magufuli was speaking during the opening of the 40th Ordinary Summit of Sadc Heads of State and Government, which was being held virtually for the first time in the history of the 40 -year old body due to challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Sadc intra-regional trade has increased from five percent during its inception in 1980 to 25 percent currently,” said President Magufuli, adding, “However, this is significantly less compared to other regions.”

This compares poorly with Europe, North America and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, where intra-regional trade is estimated at 60, 40 and 30 percent, respectively.

President Magufuli’s sentiments were echoed by the Sadc executive secretary, Dr Stergomena Tax.

She said the Sadc Secretariat assessment of the status of industrialisation and market integration in the region, shows that there is still work to be done if member states are to effectively promote industrialisation, and improve economic growth in the region.

The assessment shows that the structures of Sadc economies remain undiversified with a growing dependency on natural resources and export of unprocessed commodities characterised by a stagnant industrial sector. She said, among others, the question of low intra-regional trade points to the urgent need for member states to improve competitiveness by addressing the supply-side constraints.

This includes strengthening cooperation in cross-border infrastructure, and dealing with non-tariff barriers (NTBs) that remain a hindrance to the smooth flow of goods.

The findings also point to the importance of ratifying and implementing the Sadc Protocol on Industry, as an important instrument for the promotion of an industrialised and globally competitive regional economy.

She said out of 12 member States that have signed the protocol, only the Republic of Seychelles has ratified it (Protocol).

Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera said Sadc needed to honour the heritage left by the late Benjamin William Mkapa, the third President of Tanzania, who succumbed to short illness late last month.

He said Mkapa had a very strong passion for regional cooperation and economic integration.

In the Sadc Summit held in 2001 in Blantyre, Republic of Malawi, the late former President Benjamin Mkapa was quoted as saying that “Sadc belongs to the people, and the people need peace; they need security and stability if they are to work and invest for today and tomorrow.”

His legacy is visible for everyone to see and cherish, he has left an indelible mark on the lives of Sadc citizens, and his name and achievements are inscribed in the history books of Sadc, according to the Sadc.

For his part, President Nyusi assured the Sadc member states of cooperation in molding the integration.

Achievements

A number of milestones were recorded during the year of the chairmanship of President Magufuli, who assumed the position on August 17 last year.

The achievements include timely development of Sadc guidelines on movement of goods and services across the region during Covid-19.

The guidelines greatly contributed to containment of the spread of the pandemic, and facilitated movement of goods, and thus minimizing disruptions to economic activities, and mitigating socioeconomic hardships to Sadc citizens.

Furthermore, the region finalized the development of the Sadc vision 2050, and Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030.

These are key blueprints that are to provide a strategic direction of the region, taking forward the Revised RISDP 2015– 2020, which lapsed in March 2020.