Story by John Nhandara
THE 34th Committee of SADC Ministers of Trade and the 24th Ministerial Taskforce on Regional Integration have concluded their week-long deliberations with renewed calls for accelerated intra-regional trade and deeper economic cooperation.
The high-level engagements, which ran for five days, brought together trade ministers and senior policymakers from the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) to chart a path forward in addressing persistent barriers to trade, industrialisation and inclusive economic growth.
SADC Executive Secretary, Mr Elias Mpedi Magosi, emphasised the importance of long-term strategies in addressing structural challenges and unlocking the region’s full trade potential.
“Your meeting today presents a unique opportunity to reflect on how our region can better navigate the evolving geopolitical landscape and address underlying factors that impede increased intra-regional trade. In doing so, must not think of short-term solutions but rather devise long-term solutions to counter all the anticipated challenges that may arise in the future so that, as our mission states, we cement our global position as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the world economy,” he said.
The meetings culminated in the adoption of resolutions designed to fast-track the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and deepen the implementation of trade protocols.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Professor Amon Murwira, stressed the importance of unity and the urgent need for member states to ratify outstanding SADC protocols, particularly those relating to industrialisation and the mining value chain.
“The basis of SADC is that together we have a prosperous common future. The SADC Declaration and Treaty underscore the importance of regional integration. We must move away from constructing barriers amongst ourselves. The ratification of the Mining Protocol is a key step in leveraging the mining value chain and ensuring inclusive development across the region,” he said.
The meetings also examined how SADC member states whose combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stands at over US$841 billion can effectively harness opportunities presented by the SADC Free Trade Area (FTA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Discussions were focused on developing coherent strategies that will enable the region to tap into broader African markets and unlock greater economic potential through collective action.
