Leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) entered the closed session of the 46th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government with regional integration and trade, infrastructure and energy high on the agenda.
This is according to Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola, who spoke to the media on the sidelines of the summit in Durban on Monday.
“The President has opened the summit. The executive secretary [of SADC] has also outlined [the agenda]. We will now be going into the closed sessions, where we are going to make decisions on the issues that have been outlined, including SADC regional integration, inter-regional trade, infrastructure, special/spatial projects, energy, the electricity power pool, and peace and security,” Lamola said.
He added that infrastructure development at border posts is the backbone of development in the region.
“[The] key issue that will be discussed is the North-South Corridor from the Durban Port, which goes up to the DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo], including the One-Stop Border Post at Lebombo and all the one-stop border posts that we are developing.
“This also includes those between Zambia and Zimbabwe, between Zimbabwe, Zambia and the DRC, and all those that have a regional impact in terms of economic trade and growth,” the Minister said.
The beneficiation of Southern Africa’s many raw minerals is also under discussion.
“We have identified about 10 of them that we believe can drive regional industrialisation and manufacturing. This meeting, now in a closed session, will look into the details of how that should be done and how it can be enhanced.
“South Africa has now taken this matter to another level. If you remember, it was one of the outcomes of the G20, where all the rich countries agreed to invest in the African continent for beneficiation at source in the global South.
“This is now an outcome of the African Union, which we must ensure happens. It is also going to be the outcome of this SADC regional meeting, where all the countries in the SADC region say this is how we should move forward in terms of beneficiation,” Lamola explained.
Electricity and SADC’s energy power pool are also key subjects, as energy security powers manufacturing plants, factories and industry. – SAnews.gov.za
