Story by Owen Mandovha
HARARE is this week playing host to high-level meetings of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as senior officials and Ministers of Trade from across the region converge to explore strategies to accelerate intra-regional trade through innovation and industrialisation.
The series of engagements, taking place at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden, is being held under the theme “Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustained Growth and Development.”
The meetings precede the formal SADC Ministers of Trade meeting scheduled for Thursday.
Zimbabwe, in its capacity as Chair of SADC, is spearheading efforts to drive regional cooperation and ensure that resolutions from previous summits are effectively implemented.
Chairing the opening session of senior officials’ meetings, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ambassador Albert Chimbindi, emphasised the urgency of translating commitments into actionable programmes to prepare the region for broader continental economic integration.
“As a region we need to come together and fast track the industrialisation of the region but most importantly to implement decisions and resolutions made in past meetings so that we are prepared to thrive and participate in the African Continental Free Trade Area,” he said.
Ambassador Chimbindi also raised concern over growing global protectionist tendencies, urging SADC Member States to reinforce intra-regional cooperation as a buffer against adverse global trade policies.
“The region must come together and confront challenges such as protectionism, including the imposition of tariffs by global economic powers such as the United States. These developments are affecting world trade, which makes it even more critical for us to deepen regional collaboration to industrialise and compete effectively on the global stage,” he said.
The ongoing discussions are expected to culminate in concrete action points aimed at positioning the SADC bloc to fully leverage opportunities presented by the AfCFTA, while also fostering inclusive and sustained economic growth across the region.
