realigning infrastructure with industrialisation sadc ... · able projects, is the prioritisation...

by Joseph Ngwawi

INFRASTRuCTuRe IS key to regional de-velopment and the program is being re-viewed and adjusted for closer alignmentwith plans to industrialize the region andthe African continent.

The importance of infrastructure as an en-abler of industrialization and trade is widelyacknowledged in regional, continental andinternational policy instruments.

The Doha Development Agenda for ex-ample, as well as the United Nations Al-maty Program of Action and its successorprogram, the Vienna Plan of Action that istargeted to support the special needs oflandlocked developing countries, identifies

infrastructure development and main-tenance as one of six priority areas.

Several programs and strategiesare in place to improve infrastructureas an anchor for sustainable transfor-mation, through enhanced tradecompetitiveness.

These include the v SADC Regional Infrastructure De-

velopment Master Plan (RIDMP), v Revised SADC Regional Indicative

Strategic Development Plan (RISDP)2015-2020,

continued on page 2...

POLicy 3

WATER 4

TOuRism 5

cLimATE chAngE 6

EnERgy 7-10

fOOd sEcuRiTy 11

gEndER 12

PEAcE & sEcuRiTy 13

ELEcTiOns 14

EVEnTs 15

hisTORy TOdAy 16

SADC ToDAy Vol 20 No. 4 JuNe 2018

v Tripartite Trade and Transport Facilita-tion Programme,

v New Partnership for Africa’s Develop-ment (NEPAD) Short-Term Action Plan,and the

v Program for Infrastructure Developmentin Africa (PIDA).The historic adoption of the RIDMP in

2012 was informed by the decision of SADCMember States that infrastructure develop-ment and maintenance is a priority for ac-celerated regional integration, economicdevelopment and trade.

Member States decided that the key bar-riers to trade and industrialisation could beaddressed through the provision of seam-less trans-boundary infrastructure for trans-port, power generation and transmissionsystems, regional telecommunications in-frastructure, as well as river basin organisa-tions, and water supply and sanitation.

This placed integrated infrastructure de-velopment as a second priority in the con-text of the SADC regional integrationprocess and its current plan, the RevisedRISDP 2015-2020.

The central framework for implement-ing Priority B of the RISDP is underpinnedby the infrastructure master plan, theRIDMP.

Realigning infrastructure with industrialisationSADC assesses progress

SADC Today 20 No. 4.qxp_Layout 1 6/5/18 11:42 AM

2 SouTheRN AFRICA Today, June 2018

SADC has therefore acknowl-edged that regional infrastruc-ture is a key enabler of theintegration agenda as envi-sioned through the RISDP andthe SADC IndustrializationStrategy and Roadmap, amongother strategic frameworks.

The success of these strategicframeworks requires regular as-sessment of progress with im-plementation. The RIDMP wasto be rolled out in phases of fiveyears, with the first phase run-ning from 2012-2017.

A SADC Extraordinary Sum-mit in March 2017, held in Swazi-land (now eSwatini), directed theSADC Secretariat to review theSADC Infrastructure Project Port-folio in the RIDMP to determinepriorities to be focused at regionallevel in relation to national levelin member states.

The Secretariat was directedto work with the African Devel-opment Bank (AfDB) to developthe necessary instruments andframeworks such as infrastruc-ture bonds, partial risk guaran-tees, insurance guarantees andpartial credit guarantees for usein Member States.

The Secretariat was also di-rected to leverage the AfDB In-dustrialization Strategy for Africa(2016-2025). The strategy aims todevelop the industrial sector andpolicy framework in Africa;strengthen intra-Africa trade andintegrate Africa into regional andinternational value chains; andboost competitiveness and valuecreation by expanding the supplyof business services to maximizeimpact on the performance of in-dustries.

To achieve these goals, theAfDB strategy aims tostrengthen five enablers for in-dustrialisation. These are sup-portive policy, legislative andinstitutional environment; con-ducive economic environmentand infrastructure; access to cap-ital; access to markets; and com-petitive talents, capabilities, andentrepreneurship.

The SADC Secretariat, withthe support of the Development

Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)has engaged the Southern AfricanResearch and DocumentationCentre (SARDC) to carry out anindependent assessment of re-sults achieved by the RIDMPShort Term Action Plan (STAP)2012-2017.

The Secretariat, in partner-ship with AfDB, DBSA, andNEPAD, organised a meeting oftechnical experts from MemberStates to discuss the preparationof a priority list of infrastructureprojects for the region.

The meeting, held in Johan-nesburg, South Africa in May,produced a list of regional infra-structure projects that can be im-plemented in the short- tomedium-term which AfDB aimsto implement in partnershipwith development finance insti-tutions such as DBSA.

The adoption of RIDMP bythe 32nd SADC Summit held inMaputo, Mozambique in 2012provided an opportunity forMember States to cooperate inrolling out the priority infrastruc-ture projects, on which there wasregional consensus. The MasterPlan comprised three phases:• Short Term Action Plan -

STAP (2012-2017);• Medium Term Action Plan

(2017 – 2022);• Long Term Action Plan

(2022-2027).This is in line with the SADC

Vision 2027, a 15-year imple-mentation horizon for forecast-ing infrastructure requirementsin the region.

It is also in line with theAfrican Union’s PIDA and con-stituted a key input into the Tri-partite Trade and TransportFacilitation Programme that isjointly implemented by SADC,the Common Market for Easternand Southern Africa and theEast African Community.

The SADC master planguides implementation of coor-dinated, integrated, efficient,trans-boundary infrastructurenetworks in the six priority sec-tors of energy, transport,tourism, Information Communi-

cation Technology (ICT), mete-orology and water.

Interventions are clusteredinto six sectoral plans, each rep-resenting the priority sectors.

The Energy Sector Plan seeksto address the four priority areasof energy security, improving ac-cess to modern energy services,tapping the abundant energy re-sources, and increasing financialinvestment while enhancing en-vironmental sustainability.

Regarding the sub-sectors ofroad, rail, ports, inland water-ways and air transport net-works, the Transport Sector Planaims to address four key areasthrough improving access to the‘seamless transport corridors’value chain; reducing the cost oftransportation; enhancing com-petitiveness; and providing safeand secure transport services.

The ICT Sector Plan is de-signed to address four key areas,to ensure accessibility, includinguniversal access to broadbandICT technologies; accelerate re-gional integration throughbroadband interconnectivitywithin and among SADC Mem-ber States; reduce the cost ofdoing business; and improve thereliability and security of ICT in-frastructure.

The Water Sector Plan priori-tises five goals, which are: in-creased water storage in theregion; irrigated land for food se-curity; hydropower generationfor energy security; increasing ac-cess to safe drinking water; andstrengthening sanitation servicesfor SADC citizens.

The Tourism Sector Planis geared towards achieving

enhanced socio-economic devel-opment; facilitating joint market-ing of SADC as a singledestination; increasing tourismarrivals and tourism receipts fromsource markets; and developingthe tourism sector in an environ-mentally sustainable manner.

Emphasis for the MeteorologySector Plan is put on the need toensure the availability of timelyearly warning information relat-ing to adverse weather and cli-mate variability impacts. Anotherhighlight of the Meteorology Sec-tor Plan is the development of aframework for harmonized indi-cators for the provision of rele-vant climate forecastinginformation to facilitate prepara-tion of mitigation measuresagainst droughts, floods and cy-clones.

The development of RIDMPnecessitated a diagnosis into thechallenges faced by SADC withregard to the development of re-gional infrastructure projects.

A key challenge beyond theresources required for projectpreparation among MemberStates and investment of bank-able projects, is the prioritisationof projects.

Given that resources of time,labour and capital are always lim-ited, SADC Member States mustgive priority to infrastructureprojects that yield economic andsocial benefits most efficiently.

The challenge is acute for theSADC region where the lack of astrategically selected list of infra-structure projects is often a crucialfactor inhibiting the potential fordeveloping and financing of suchprojects. r

Realigning infrastructure with industrialisation -- SADC assesses progress

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1


Protocol on industry To support industrialisation strategy and strengthen economic development

Energy protocol under review

P O L I C Y

SouTheRN AFRICA Today 3

programmes and projects, in-cluding the SADC Industrial-ization Strategy and Roadmapand its related Costed ActionPlan.

The SADC Industrializa-tion Strategy and Roadmapaims to accelerate the mo-mentum towards strengthen-ing the comparative andcompetitive advantages ofeconomies of southernAfrican countries.

The proposed protocol isexpected to strengthen thelevel of industrial develop-ment in the region and facili-tate the harmonisation ofpolicies and strategies inmember states.

Where member states al-ready have such policies andstrategies, these should be re-viewed and aligned to theSADC Industrialisation Strat-egy and Roadmap.

A report presented duringthe SADC Council of Minis-ters revealed that the Secre-tariat has obtained resourcesto update the SADC IndustrialUpgrading and Modernisa-tion Programme (IUMP).

According to the report,SADC member states are ex-pected to develop nationalIUMPs by the end of 2018 andto implement these by Decem-ber 2020.

The SADC IUMP wasadopted by the SADC Com-mittee of Ministers of Tradein 2009 to implement thecomponent of the RegionalIndicative Strategic Develop-ment Plan (RISDP) that dealtwith industrialisation. TheRISDP was subsequently re-vised in 2015 by front-loadingindustrialisation ahead oftrade.

National industrial up-grading programmes shouldbe in line with theSADC IUMP, which providesthe basis for a sector-specificapproach to industrialisationin the region, focusingon upgrading existing manu-facturing capacities, mod-ernising productive facilities,reinforcing the institutionalsupport infrastructure, andstrengthening regional capac-ity for research and innova-tion.

To encourage the creationof regional value chainsand participation in globalprocesses, the region has iden-tified five priority areas wherethe value chains can be estab-

The SADC Protocol on En-ergy is being reviewed to re-flect the changing dynamicstowards increased uptake ofrenewable energies andgreater cooperation in energydevelopment. The protocol, which wasadopted in 1996, is the mainpolicy and legal document onenergy development in theregion and aims tostrengthen cooperation in thedevelopment of energyinfrastructure as well as en-suring the provision of reli-able and sustainable energyservices. Since 1996 Member Stateshave implemented the provi-sions of the protocol by em-barking on several reformsthrough agreements and pol-icy documents.

According to a report pre-sented during the SADC En-ergy Thematic Group (ETG)meeting held in Gaborone,Botswana in April, the re-vised SADC Protocol on En-ergy is expected to reflect theachievements and futuregoals of Member States to-wards greater regional inte-gration and energy sectorharmonization. The revision of the proto-col is expected to involve thecreation of a steering commit-tee that will be responsible fordriving the process as well asa working group of technicalofficials who will be chargedwith developing a work planand facilitating the review. A draft revised protocol isexpected to be ready by theend of 2018. r

lished and for which regionalstrategies should be devel-oped by 2020.

These are in the areasof agro-processing, mineralsbeneficiation, consumergoods, capital goods, andservices.

Detailed value chain stud-ies are proposed for specificproducts or services in the pri-ority areas.

As part of the process ofpromoting value chain partic-ipation, there are plans to de-velop model legislation andregulations for intra-SADCagro-processing, minerals ben-eficiation and other manufac-turing activities and services.sardc.net r

The SADC Secretariat is de-veloping a legal instrumentthat will improve the policyenvironment for industrial de-velopment and support imple-mentation.

The implementation of aregional industry protocolshould strengthen theeconomies of SADC MemberStates to be driven by indus-trial development and notbased on export of raw re-sources.

SADC Executive SecretaryDr Stergomena LawrenceTax said a draft of the protocolis in place following consulta-tions with member states.

“I am glad to report thatduring the year, drafts of theSADC Regional Mining Vi-sion, and Protocol on Industrywere prepared and consulta-tions were held with relevantstakeholders,” Dr Tax said atthe SADC Council of Minis-ters meeting held in lateMarch in Pretoria, SouthAfrica.

She said the proposed pro-tocol will provide for a sup-portive policy environmentfor the implementation of theSADC Industrialisation Strat-egy and Roadmap across sec-tors.

The final draft protocol isexpected to be ready by theend of 2018.

According to the costed ac-tion plan of the SADC Indus-trialisation Strategy andRoadmap (2015-2063), the pro-tocol is expected to be adoptedby the end of 2020.

The protocol will providethe legal mandate for theSADC Secretariat to coordi-nate the implementation of re-gional industrial activities,



W A T E R

by Egline Tauya

The BeNeFITS of transbound-ary water cooperation need to befully realised in order to attract in-vestment for infrastructure insouthern Africa.

This was one of the key mes-sage from the 8th SADC RiverBasin Organisations workshopheld in Windhoek, Namibia inMay.

The Senior Programme Officerfor the SADC Water Division,Phera Ramoeli told the workshopthat it is critical for River Basin Or-ganisations (RBOs) to better com-municate the benefits ofcooperation, from trust buildingand the peace dividend, to themore tangible socio-economic andenvironmental benefits that em-anate from collaboration and jointmanagement.

“Despite being assessed, docu-mented and understood, the bene-fits of transboundary watercooperation have not been com-municated well in the region,” hesaid, adding that “empirical evi-dence to support the extensive ex-isting literature on the benefitsderived from transboundary watercooperation is still lacking.”

The benefits of transboundarywater cooperation include: • improved water resources man-

agement and development; • accelerated economic growth; • improved human wellbeing; • increased food security;• energy security; • increased resilience to climate-

related extreme events such asfloods and droughts;

• enhanced environmental sus-tainability; and

• improved information sharing. Scientific studies have shown

that coordinated operation of theexisting hydropower facilities inthe Zambezi River Basin can po-tentially increase energy produc-tion by 23 percent without anyadditional investment.

As a result of improved infor-mation sharing due to cooperation,expectations are high that the Zam-bezi Water Information System(ZAMWIS) will provide guiding

information to the Strategic Planfor the Zambezi Watercourse forthe projected US$16 billion+ in-vestment in national projects.

This will have the potential todouble the area under irrigationand create more than 500,000 newjobs.

Another project of benefit isthe Zambia-Malawi Water andSanitation Project at Mwami bor-der under the auspices of the Cli-mate Resilient InfrastructureDevelopment Facility.

The project seeks to benefitmore than 6,000 public travellersand 1,500 houses at Mwami, Mch-inji and Chanida border townswith water supply and sanitation.

In the Orange Senqu Basin, thetransfer of water from Lesotho toBotswana will have tangible ben-efits, and a study is being donethat will highlight the multi-faceted benefits of the project.This is coordinated by the Or-ange-Senqu River Commission(ORASECOM) Secretariat.

For the Cubango-OkavangoBasin, the planned investment forMcundi Dam in Angola is ex-pected to contribute to 105

“securing strategic investments to Realise the Benefits of Transboundary Water Cooperation”

megawatts (MW) that could be ex-ported to Namibia and used forthe domestic market.

The intervention will allow de-velopment of irrigation projects inAngola as well as regulate flow ofwater to the Okavango Delta, thusreducing the occurrence of floods.

“There is need for RBOs to takefurther steps of ensuring that thebenefits are not only understoodbut are also realised within the re-gion to attract continued supportfrom Member States and externalinvestments,” Ramoeli said.

The evolving role ofORASECOM in facilitating themobilisation of funding for proj-ects was underscored.

The region’s RBOs are at differ-ent stages of maturity in terms ofestablishment, and riparian statesare showing their commitmentthrough contributing resources tosupport these institutions.

However, for this support to besustained, Member States expectto see social, economic and envi-ronmental benefits derived fromtransboundary water cooperation.

The need for RBOs to demon-strate value addition in order toget continuous funding from theMember States is increasing, dueto competition for resources.

The workshop noted thatbenefits still need to be identi-

Watercourse

Buzicongo

cuvelaiincomatiKunene

LimpopoOkavango

Orange-senquPungweRuvumasave/sabiumbeluziZambezi

Major shared river basins within SADC

Countries

mozambique and Zimbabwedemocratic Republic of the congo, cameroon, Republic of the congo, central African RepublicAngola and namibiamozambique, south Africa and swazilandAngola, namibia

Botswana, mozambique, south Africa, ZimbabweAngola, Botswana, namibia

Botswana, Lesotho, namibia, south Africamozambique and Zimbabwemozambique and Tanzaniamozambique and Zimbabwemozambique, south Africa and swazilandAngola, Botswana, malawi, mozambique, namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

River Basin Organisation

Commission Internationale du Bassin Congo-Oubangui-Sangha (CICOS)

Permanent Joing Technical Committee (PJTC) KuneneLimpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM)The Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM)The Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM)

The Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM)

TWelVe SADC mainland Member Statesshare 15 river basins. These river basinsare managed by 12 river basin organisations

or basin management authorities, allat different stages of development andcapacity. r

Source: www.sadc.int

fied, assessed, and communi-cated well.

Established in 2006, the SADCRBOs series of workshops is or-ganised every two years with theaim of using RBOs as a vehicle forstrengthening regional integra-tion and cooperation.

This year’s RBOs workshopwas convened by the PermanentOkavango River Basin WaterCommission (OKACOM), in col-laboration with the SADC Secre-tariat, Directorate of Infrastructure-Water Division, and the GlobalWater Partnership SouthernAfrica. This initiative was hostedby the Government of Namibia,one of OKACOM’s riparian states.

Convened under the theme“Securing Strategic Investments toRealise the Benefits of Trans-boundary Water Cooperation”, theworkshop provided a platform forvarious stakeholders to discuss theopportunities of investing in proj-ects in transboundary river basinsand also enable RBOs in the regionto share their experiences withintheir jurisdictions.

The objective of the workshopwas to share experiences on howRBO’s can play a key role in basin-wide investment planning and im-plementation processes in order torealise the benefits of transbound-ary water cooperation. r



ReFoRM oF the Regional Tourism Organisation of SouthernAfrica (RETOSA) is aimed at transforming the body from beinga public organization to a lean, more agile, dynamic and private-sector-driven regional marketing entity. Established in 1997 as a SADC subsidiary organization, RE-TOSA was mandated to encourage and assist in the develop-ment of tourism in the region and market southern Africa as asingle but multi-faceted tourist destination. However, in a move aimed at strengthening the organisation,SADC Ministers responsible for Tourism in July 2016 approvedthe organizational transformation of RETOSA to ensure that itfocuses more on marketing, leaving tourism policy coordinationfunctions to the SADC Secretariat. The ministers directed the Secretariat to take advantage of theongoing restructuring process to establish the Tourism PolicyUnit within the SADC Secretariat in order to ensure effective co-ordination; development, harmonisation and implementation oftourism policy and related issues. Consequently a Tourism Coordination Unit was establishedwithin the SADC Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources(FANR) Directorate. Therefore, the process to develop a SADC Tourism Pro-gramme to guide and coordinate tourism development in the re-gion is a holistic approached aimed at restructuring anddeveloping the tourism industry in southern Africa. r

Transformation of the regional tourism organization

uNeSCo hAS launched apublication that captures thebeauty of some of the worldheritage sites found in south-ern Africa. The publication entitled“A Glimpse of the World Her-itage Sites in Southern Africa”is expected to promote sus-tainable tourism develop-ment in the region. World heritage sites are thefocus of attraction for mosttourists, and if properly har-nessed and managed, thesesites have the potential tocontribute significantly tosustainable development. r

World heritage sites keyin promoting tourism insAdc

by August and once developedthe Secretariat will mobilize re-sources to support its imple-mentation.

The successful implementa-tion of the programme willallow the region to become oneof the most preferred destina-tions in the world, allowingcountries to realize better pro-ceeds from their numeroustourist attractions such as theVictoria Falls between Zambiaand Zimbabwe, San rock paint-ings in Botswana and the ab-sorbing wildlife population inthe region.

Creation of a better tourismenvironment in SADC will pres-ent new opportunities for sus-tainable development, as wellas deepen integration as coun-

tries will be expected to har-monise their policies and jointlymarket their attractions.

Globally, tourism is thethird largest industry, contribut-ing about 10 percent of theglobal Gross Domestic Productand offering an estimated 313million jobs as of December2017.

However, SADC and therest of the African continentcontinue realize limited benefitsfrom its vast tourist attractionsdue to various factors includingrestrictive travel policies such asvisa systems that requires trav-ellers to the region to apply fora visa each time they enter an-other country.

To address these challengesand benefit more from tourism,SADC has prioritised tourism asa means of promoting sustain-able development.

In 1998, the region devel-oped a Protocol on the Develop-ment of Tourism, which aims toencourage cooperation betweengovernments and the privatesector through a favourable in-vestment climate that promotessustainable tourism, preservingthe region’s natural and culturalresources.

Other key regional initia-tives that provide for a comple-mentary and broad legislative,institutional and programmingcontext for the development oftourism include the:v Regional Tourism Organisa-

tion of Southern Africa (RE-TOSA) – a body responsiblefor the development oftourism and regional desti-nation marketing across;

v SADC Protocol on WildlifeConservation and Law En-forcement – a legal instru-ment that commits Member

States to promote the conser-vation of shared wildliferesources through the estab-lishment of trans frontierconservation areas;

v SADC Protocol on Facilita-tion of Movement of Persons– an instrument that requiresMember States to developpolicies aimed at the pro-gressive elimination of ob-stacles to the free movementof capital and labour, goodsand services and of the peo-ple of the region; and

v SADC Regional Infrastruc-ture Development MasterPlan (RIDMP) – the TourismSector Plan of the RIDMP isgeared towards achievingenhanced infrastructuredevelopment to promotesmooth movement of goods,services and people acrossthe region. r

SouTheRN AFRICA is devel-oping a plan that will guide andcoordinate tourism develop-ment in the region.

This is in line with a direc-tive made by a joint meeting ofSADC Ministers responsible forEnvironment and Natural Re-sources, Fisheries and Aquacul-ture, and Tourism to the SADCSecretariat in November 2017 todevelop a SADC Tourism Pro-gramme.

The regional tourism pro-gramme is expected to serve asa roadmap for the developmentof an “ethical tourism industry,”as well as facilitate the removalof barriers to tourism develop-ment and growth.

The draft SADC TourismProgramme is set to be finalized

sAdc to develop regional tourism programme

T O U R I S M


for the Cartagena Protocol onBiosafety and Nagoya Protocolon ABS.

First discussed at the EarthSummit held in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil in June 1992, the CBDentered into force in December1993. However, the Conventionwas only adopted duringCOP10 held in 2010 in Nagoya,Japan.

The CBD aims to promotethe conservation of biologicaldiversity, sustainable use of itscomponents and the fair andequitable sharing of benefitsarising from utilization of ge-netic resources.

The Cartagena Protocol onBiosafety seeks to protect bio-logical diversity from the po-tential risks posed by livingmodified organisms resultingfrom modern biotechnology.The Nagoya Protocol on ABSaims to ensure that the sharingthe benefits arising from theutilization of genetic resourcesin a fair and equitable way.

In this regard, the forthcom-ing COP 14 of the CBD pro-vides an opportunity for theglobal community to jointlycome up with strategies to mit-igate the adverse impact ofhuman activity on plant andanimal life, including theirecosystems.

Biodiversity issues are a toppriority for SADC. In fact, theregion has a rich natural her-itage of global significance tothe world’s climate and biolog-ical diversity.

According to the SADC Re-gional Biodiversity Strategy,more than 40 percent of the re-gion’s species are endemic,only found in their existing lo-cation.

South Africa ranks as thethird most biologically-diversecountry in the world, while inMadagascar, the richness of en-

demic species relative to theland mass area is unparalleled.

Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Ni-assa and Lake Tanganyika con-tain very high numbers offreshwater species while theCentral Zambezian Miombowoodlands in Zambia and Tan-zania are a centre of bird andbutterfly diversity.

Botswana has Africa’slargest elephant populationwhile Tanzania hosts thelargest remaining populationof lions.

Biological resources such asplant and animal products,timber, and wildlife tourismalso account for a significantproportion of the Gross Do-mestic Product of SADC andare a source of livelihood forthe majority of the citizens ofthe region.

In spite of this biologicalwealth, the region continues toface challenges of economic de-velopment largely due to diffi-culties that are frequentlyexperienced in equitably andsustainably harnessing naturalresource capital.

To address these challenges,SADC has developed variousstrategies to ensure that its bi-ological resources fully benefitthe peoples of the region.

The region also recognizesthat successful conservationand sustainable use of the bio-logical resources of the regiondepends on trans-boundary co-operation between MemberStates and beyond.

COP14 will be held 10-22November in Sharm El-Sheikh,Egypt. r

C L I M A T E C H A N G E


by Kumbirai Nhongo

SADC IS in the process of de-veloping a common positionon the use of biological re-sources for sustainable devel-opment.

The common position iscritical to addressing some ofthe challenges facing the re-gion, including over-exploita-tion and degradation of theenvironment, which has, inturn, reduced the quantity andquality of biological resources.

Biological resources are gen-erally defined as any geneticresources, organisms or partsthereof, populations, or anyother biotic component ofecosystems that have actual orpotential value or use to hu-manity.

The SADC common posi-tion will serve as a guidingframework for the region in allits negotiations on biologicalresources.

Global negotiations on bio-logical resources will be heldduring the forthcoming 14thConference of Parties (COP14)to the Convention on Biologi-cal Diversity of the Conventionon Biological Diversity (CBD)scheduled for Egypt in No-vember.

In addition to this, the Con-vention adopted two supple-mentary agreements -- theCartagena Protocol onBiosafety and the Nagoya Pro-tocol on Access to Genetic Re-sources and the Fair andEquitable Sharing of BenefitsArising from their Utilization,also known as the Nagoya Pro-tocol on Access and BenefitSharing (ABS).

SADC is expected to con-vene a regional workshop inJune to develop its commonposition on the three globalagreements that deal with bio-logical resources.

The regional workshop isbeing held under the SADCProgramme on TransboundaryUse and Protection of NaturalResources that aims to improvethe implementation of SADCprotocols and strategies forsustainable natural resourcemanagement by regional andnational actors.

A common position to CBDwill enable SADC MemberStates to align policies andstrategies for sustainable use ofbiological resources and sensi-tise each other on conservingsuch resources.

All the 16 SADC MemberStates are signatories to theCBD, which is also commonlyknown as the BiodiversityConvention, Cartagena Proto-col on Biosafety and theNagoya Protocol on ABS.

In fact, all SADC countrieshave appointed National FocalPoints for the CBD as well as

convention on Biological Resources …sAdc to adopt common position



Public-Private Sector Power Generation

8%

92%

Public Utility IPPs Source: RERA Publication on Electricity Tariffs 2014

The Southern African DevelopmentCommunity (SADC) has put in place an

ambitious plan for potential funders to invest inits energy sector. One of the areas that isattractive for investment is Renewable Energy(RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE). This is becauseRE services and sources are generally affordable,secure and reliable, as well as less polluting to theenvironment compared to fossil energy. Thispolicy brief, therefore, outlines some of the majorpolicy considerations that SADC could considerto attract private investment in the energy sector,with special focus on RE.

A Case for Public-Private PartnershipWhile investment in energy within southernAfrica is growing, the current levels areinadequate to meet future demand. According tothe region’s Renewable Energy and EnergyEfficiency Strategy and Action Plan (REEESAP),the demand for electricity in the region isgrowing at an average of three percent per year.Furthermore, the region’s economy has grown atan average five percent, while the rate ofurbanisation has averaged six percent since 2016.This growth has increased demand for energyand put pressure on SADC Member States toinvest in its energy sector. In this regard, there is need for SADC to takecritical steps to strengthen its capacity to attainenergy security by involving other stakeholderssuch as the private sector in boosting energygeneration and supply. For example, privatesector participation in the power sector haslargely been through Independent PowerProducers (IPPs), which are institutions that ownor operate facilities for the generation ofelectricity for use primarily by the public.However, as noted in Figure 1, the SADC regionis still overwhelmingly dependent ongovernment-owned state utilities for powergeneration. It is recognised that private sectorinvestment in the SADC energy sector will be

more attractive when there are reasonablereturns on investment. The emergence of policyconcepts such as cost-reflective tariffs, Feed-inTariffs (FIT), net metering and auctioning ofpower supply from IPPs as well as PowerPurchase Agreements (PPAs), has led to anincrease in energy investments in other regions,and have the capacity to have the same effect ifimplemented in SADC.

Cost-reflective TariffsCost reflective tariffs depict the true costs ofproducing energy or electricity generation at thetime of use. Given that the investor expects aviable return on energy projects, then cost-reflective tariffs will attract private capital. Inaddition, since consumers pay the true cost ofenergy, it also means that this tariff optionencourages the adoption of energy efficientpractices. Many utilities in the SADC region chargeconsumers less for a unit of electricity than whatit costs to produce despite agreements to adoptcost effective tariffs since 2004. In July 2015, the

Policy Options to Promote Investments in Renewable Energy Services and Sources


Source: The Providence Environment, 2012

How Feed in Tariffs Work

MemberState

Are current tariffssustainable andsufficient to provideincentives for newinvestment?

Are current tariffs able to provide incentives for efficient use of electricity?

Has a targetdate been set forachieving costreflectivity?

Is there an approved plan toachieve cost-reflective tariffstarget?

AngolaLesothoMalawiMozambiqueNamibiaSouth AfricaSwazilandTanzaniaZambiaZimbabweTotal

Progress Towards Cost-Reflective Tariffs in SADC

Source: RERA Publication on electricity tariffs 2014

× × √ √ √ × × ×× × √ √ × × × ×√ √ √ √ √ √ √ ×× × × ×√ √ × ×× × √ √× × × ×4 3 5 4

R E N E W A B L E E N E R G Y

SADC Energy Ministers reaffirmed theircommitment to ensure that the region reachesfull cost-reflective tariffs by 2019. A 2014survey conducted by the Regional ElectricityRegulators Association (RERA) showed thatthe region’s energy sector is largely not self-sustaining due to subsidies. The followingTable shows the status of cost-reflective tariffsin SADC.

As shown in the Table, regulators from onlyfour member states are certain that their tariffstructures are sufficient and sustainableenough to provide incentives for new invest-ment. These are Lesotho, Namibia, SouthAfrica, and the United Republic of Tanzania.The challenge for most SADC Member Statesis the need to strike a balance between the via-bility of energy projects and the affordability ofproducts for consumers, particularlyvulnerable households. An option is to adopta gradual approach until cost-effective tariffsare attained.

Multi-year Tariff FrameworksA multi-year tariff framework is defined as aframework for regulating the licensees over aperiod of time wherein the principles ofregulating the returns of licensees and thetrajectory of individual cost and revenueelements of the utility are pre-determined. Itprovides clarity on the rules to be applied overa pre-defined future time period while seekingto eliminate the control aspects of regulation

and replacing them with a system of incentivesand penalties. In this way, all stakeholders aremade aware of the outcome of various actionsor events for the pre-defined future timeperiod, and are able to plan accordingly. In relation to the SADC region, theadoption of multi-year tariffs could help toprovide important price signals and tarifftransparency to investors and developers. Themajority of countries in SADC do not have amulti-year tariff regime in place. Malawi, SouthAfrica, Swaziland, and Tanzania are the onlycountries that have instituted a multi-year tariffmethodology in some format. Of these, SouthAfrica has the longest duration of application,currently set at a five-year determinationhorizon. Malawi operates with a four-yearmethodology, Tanzania with three years, andSwaziland with two years.

Feed-in Tariffs A Feed In Tariff (FIT) is a policy mechanismdesigned to accelerate investment inrenewable energy technologies. It achievesthis by offering long-term contracts torenewable energy producers, based on thecost of generation of each technology. Ratherthan pay an equal amount for energy, lowercost technologies such as wind power, forinstance, are awarded a lower price per-kWhprice than technologies that cost higher, suchas solar PV. The illustration shows how FIT-based energy projects can help to provideadditional energy into the national grid.

Experiences from other countries in theworld suggest that a well-designed Feed InTariff can generate rapid growth for targetedrenewable energy projects, by creatingconditions that attract capital to thoseparticular sectors. In 2015, Namibia startedthe Renewable Energy Feed In Tariff





programme for solar PV, wind projects andbiomass. The programme targets investmentsin energy projects with a generating capacityof between 500 kW to five MW oncompletion. Feed-in tariff support is awarded forperiods of up to 20 years and energy prices arepaid for in Namibian dollars, with the priceindexed to the US dollar at the prevailingexchange rate. Under this FIT programme,Namibia is set to deploy 30 MW of biomass,60 MW of solar PV and 60 MW of wind.Tanzania is also running FIT initiatives, forsmall hydropower stations with less than 10MW generating capacity. Work is currentlyin progress to introduce FIT programmes inBotswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Net MeteringThis policy is designed to attract privateinvestment in RE by allowing a two-way flowof electricity between the electricitydistribution grid and customers that havetheir own generation systems. The concepthas worked well to promote investments insolar PV solutions in households where netmetering has been introduced. The customerpays only for the net electricity delivered fromthe utility (total consumption minus self-pro-duction). Distributed generation combinedwith net metering can be an important factorin addressing affordability, reducing electric-ity costs and, increasing the availability ofsupply. In addition, net metering tends to en-courage the use of renewable energy sourcesin more residential activities, thus reducingthe burden on the system during peak de-mand periods. Net metering is an attractivealternative or complement to a FIT for smallerfacilities such as household-level solar PV, asit does not require detailed contracts or finan-cial analysis. Only two SADC Member Stateshave instituted net metering – Mauritius andNamibia. Mauritius has established a net me-tering scheme with an overall cap of five MWand a lower threshold of 50 kW for independ-ent generators. In Namibia, net metering islimited to facilities with a generation capacityof 500 kVA or lower. This will therefore targetrenewable energy installations from smallbusinesses and households. South Africa andZimbabwe are planning similar programmes.

Public Competitive Bidding The public competition bidding or tender sys-tem is a procurement mechanism by whichpublic authorities solicit bids for a given amountof renewable energy supply or capacity, gener-ally based on an agreed price. Sellers offer thelowest price that they would be willing to ac-cept, but typically at prices above standard mar-ket levels. Power purchase agreements are thenconcluded once the bidding process is com-plete. South Africa has adopted this approach forgrid-connected solar and wind projects throughthe Renewable Energy IPP Procurement Pro-gramme (REIPPPP). The country intends toprocure energy from IPPs over five tender orcompetitive bidding rounds. Limits were set onthe total capacity to be procurement from eachtype of energy. For example, 75 MW was for aPV project, 100 MW for a concentrated solarproject and 140 MW for a wind project. Suchrestrictions were meant to encourage competi-tion among the potential bidders and promoteas many different types of renewable powergenerating technologies as possible. Since its inception in 2011, four biddingrounds have been run with over 5,000 MW hav-ing been procured, and at least 1,860 MW arealready on line. As the renewable programmehas rolled out, the cost of renewable energy, par-ticularly solar PV, has fallen. This price reduc-tion is attributed to increased competition insuccessive bids coupled with the gradual declinein the international prices of renewable energyequipment. The rising electricity prices for fos-sil fuels have also led to favourable cost com-parisons with renewable energy. The success ofthe South African competitive bidding processis being hailed as a model that other MemberStates may consider for adoption.

Power Purchase AgreementA power purchase agreement (PPA) is a legalcontract between an electricity generator and apower purchaser, lasting between five and 20years. Such agreements play a key role in thefinancing of independently ownedelectricity-generating assets. The seller under thePPA is typically an IPP, an entity which generatesand supplies power to the state utilities or directlyto the end users. The IPP is not a state utility, butcan be part of a Public Private Partnership entity,together with a state utility.


Julius K. Nyerere House15 Downie Avenue, Belgravia, Harare, Zimbabwe

Tel +263 4 791141 Email [email protected] www.sardc.net Knowledge for Development

THIS poLIcy brIef is produced by SARDC through the project on Communicating Energy in Southern Africasupported by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA)/ Austrian Development Cooporation (ADC). Responsibilityfor the content of this brief lies entirely with the authors. The information and analysis do not reflect the officialopinion of the ADA/ ADC.

World Bank guidelines show that PPAs canbe used for power projects where the projectedrevenues of the project would otherwise beuncertain and so some guarantee as to quanti-ties purchased and price paid are required tomake the project viable. In addition, they alsowork where there is a possibility of competitionfrom cheaper or subsidised domestic or inter-national competition. In such instances, thePPA provides some certainty of being protectedfrom such competition. Power purchase agreements may also workwhere a few major customers take the bulk ofthe output. For example, a government utilitymay be purchasing the power generated by apower plant. The government will want to un-derstand how much it will be paying for itspower and that it has the first call on that power.The project company will want certainty of rev-enue and the purchaser wishes to secure secu-rity of supply. In Tanzania, the Energy and Water UtilitiesRegulatory Authority has developed standard-ised power purchase agreements and processguidelines that have assisted a number ofdevelopers to conclude agreements with thenational power utility, Tanzania Electricity Sup-ply Company, to supply power using biomass,mini-hydro and solar power plants. PPAs also

tend to provide the contractual framework forother energy development initiatives such asfeed-in-tariffs, net metering and public com-petitive bidding.

ConclusionThe SADC region needs to grow itsinvestments in the energy sector inrecognition of the important role that energyplays in economic development. As theeconomies, populations and urbanisationrates of Member States continue to grow, sowill the demand for energy. While there hasbeen significant investment in the energysector to date, the level is inadequate to meetfuture demand. SADC is therefore encourag-ing greater private sector participation inenergy investments. The involvement of private capital re-quires a favourable investment climate whichguarantees a fair return on investments.Member States could therefore make use ofnew policy concepts which include cost-re-flective tariffs, power purchase agreements,feed-in-tariffs, net metering and public com-petitive bidding. The region certainly has agreat opportunity to leverage new policy con-cepts in order to promote additionalinvestments in RE and EE projects.

ReferencesEberhard Anton (et al) 2016. Independent Power Projects in Sub Saharan Africa: Lessons from Five Key Countries. World BankGroup, Washington DCREN21 2015. SADC Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status ReportRERA 2016. Electricity Tariffs & Selected Performance Indicators for the SADC Region 2014RERA 2013. Supportive Framework Conditions for Mini-Grids Employing Renewable or Hybrid Generation in the SADC RegionSADC 2016. Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Strategy and Action Plan, GaboroneSADC, SARDC 2017. SADC Energy Investment Year Book 2017. Gaborone, HarareSADC, SARDC 2016. SADC Energy Investment Year Book 2016. Gaborone, HarareSADC, SARDC 2016. SADC Energy Monitor 2016: Baseline Study of the SADC Energy Sector. Gaborone, HarareWorld Bank. https://ppp.worldbank.org/public-private-partnership/sector/energy/energy-power-agreements/power-pur-chase-agreements





by Admire Ndhlovu

The SADC region is expectinga lower cereal harvest for the2017/18 farming season, but thedeficit will be adequately offsetby large carry-over stocks fromthe previous season.

According to the FoodSecurity Outlook and NutritionUpdate published by theSouthern Africa Food and Nu-trition Security Working Groupin May, cereal production dur-ing the 2017/18 agriculturalseason is expected to be belowaverage, despite the heavy laterains that benefitted the lateplanted crops.

“This is due to a late start ofthe rainy season, minimal to norains during the critical plant-ing season (December -January),high temperatures and theprevalence of fall armyworm,”the working group said.

The working group is madeup of SADC, the Food and Agri-culture Organisation, WorldFood Programme, United Na-tions Children’s Fund, UN Of-fice for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs, FamineEarly Warning System Net-work, Care International,Oxfam and World Vision.

The 2017-18 rainfall seasonwas characterised by a late start,

an extended mid-season dryspell (December-January) andheavy rains from February intoearly May.

The dry spell caused mois-ture stress and wilting of theearly planted crops in manyareas in Botswana, south-western Madagascar, southernMalawi, southern and somecentral parts of Mozambique,Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“The production prospects ofthe late planted crop improveddue to the above-average rainssince February. However cerealproduction is still forecast to beslightly below or at average lev-els in 2018,” the report said.

The South African CropEstimates Committee released areport in April saying that thecommercial maize crop is esti-mated at around 12.8 millionmetric tonnes for the country,which is some 22 percent lowerthan the 2016/17 output ofaround 15.6 million tonnes.

In addition to poor earlyrains, the cereal harvest in mostcountries is expected to havebeen affected by fall armywormoutbreak, according to theSouthern Africa Food and Nu-trition Security Working Group.

The pest was recorded inmost SADC Member States, ex-cept in Mauritius and Lesotho.

In Malawi, fall armywormaffected 26 percent of the 1.5million hectares of land undermaize while it devoured morethan 68,000 hectares of crops inSwaziland, according to the re-port by the working group.

Other countries affected bythe armyworm outbreak in-clude Zambia where 113,000hectares of the maize crop weredevoured, and Zimbabwewhich lost about six percent ofthe maize planted.

The pest, which firstemerged in the region in the2016/2017 cropping season, isnative to the tropical regions ofthe Americas.

Fall armyworm affects maize,millet, sorghum, rice, wheat,sugarcane, cowpea, groundnuts,potatoes and soya beans. It eatsthe leaves of the plants as well astheir reproductive parts.

The working group, how-ever, said the impact of thelower than expected harvest islikely to be offset by significantcarry-over stocks in SouthAfrica, Zambia and Zimbabweas they had good harvests dur-ing the 2016/17 season.

South Africa is forecast tohave opening maize stocks ofover four million metric tonneswhile Zambia and Zimbabweare expected to have openingmaize stocks of 840,000 and onemillion tonnes, respectively.

The opening stocks inZambia and Zimbabwe areenough to cover 40 and 70 per-cent of the annual cerealrequirements for the two coun-tries, respectively.

“Higher stock levels shouldpartly cushion the impact ofthe expected maize production

decreases, averting a largerdecline in domestic availabili-ties,” according to the report.

While regional grainavailability is likely to remainadequate, food insecurity isexpected to be high amongvulnerable households in anumber of countries where pro-duction shortfalls are expected.

These include Lesotho,southern and central parts ofMozambique, northern andwestern Namibia, southernparts of Zambia and Malawi,southern and extreme northof Zimbabwe and southernMadagascar.

The final SADC vulnerabil-ity assessment is due to be re-leased in July and will providean update on food insecurityestimates.

To strengthen regional foodsecurity, the working groupcalled on SADC MemberStates to take appropriatemeasures to promote tradingof maize and avoid taking ad-hoc actions that would restrictimports or exports of grainswithin the region.

In addition, the workinggroup called on Member Statesto take advantage of the lateending of the season to developmeasures that support off-sea-son crop production.

According to the SADCSecretariat, agriculture con-tributes about 17 percent of thegross domestic product of theregion.

In addition to this, morethan 70 percent of the region’spopulation, now numberingsome 327 million, aredependent on agriculture fortheir livelihoods. sardc.net r

F O O D S E C U R I T Y

Expected maize production for 2017/2018 seasonCountry Estimated maize output (tonnes)

malawi 3 000 000namibia 136 000south Africa 12 827 000Zambia 2 400 000Zimbabwe 1 000 000

Sources: Member State estimates; Southern Africa Food and Nutrition SecurityWorking Group Bulletin April 2018 * Estimates not available for other Member States

harvest forecast for sAdc lower for 2017/18 –Large carry-over stocks guarantee food security



skewed in favour of men andthis is another contributing fac-tor to women not being able tocontest in elections. Election campaigns usuallyrequire substantial resourcesand time. In most cases, women oftenhave limited resources and endup dropping out of the electioncampaigns as they devote theirtime to families. It is essential to ensurethat the forthcoming electionsin the five SADC countriesstrive to consolidate and im-prove gender parity and em-powerment. To promote gender equalityand equity, SADC leadersadopted the Revised SADCProtocol on Gender andDevelopment, which “provides

These include the lack of ac-cess to information and culturalnorms that prevent women fromcontesting in elections. Women are at times excludedfrom contesting for leadershippositions by various means,which include violence and in-timidation. In some cases, women are notable to get into leadership posi-tions due to cultural beliefs andpatriarchal societies that viewwomen as second class citizens. This stereotyping is instilledin boys and girls at a young ageand becomes a norm, thereforechildren grow up believing thatthey are unequal. Such practices limit interestby women to take part indecision-making in various sec-tors and advance beliefs that it isthe rightful position for men. Although the majority of vot-ers in most SADC MemberStates are women, they do notvote for other women in manycases. This can be attributed to thefact that there are misconcep-tions that the successes ofwomen are as a result of promis-cuous activities that get theminto leadership positions. Therefore, because womendo not want to be associatedwith such negative labelling,they do not contest for leader-ship positions. The economic advancementof most SADC countries remains

by Nyarai Kampilipili

WITh FIVe countries in SADCpreparing for polls this year, it isimportant to assess the partici-pation of women as candidatesand if gender issues are main-streamed in the electoralprocesses. The five SADC countriesscheduled to hold elections arethe Democratic Republic ofCongo (DRC), Madagascar,Mozambique, Swaziland andZimbabwe. Zimbabwe has recently an-nounced that it will go for itsharmonised elections on 30 July,according to a public statementpublished in an ExtraordinaryGovernment Gazette on 30 May. The DRC is expected to holdparliamentary and presidentialelections on 23 December andMozambique will hold localgovernment polls on 10 Octo-ber. The other two countries –Madagascar and Swaziland –are yet to pronounce the date ofelections. The forthcoming electionsprovide an opportunity for thefive countries to make progressin addressing the disparitybetween women and men inpolitical decision-making posi-tions. In most SADC countrieswomen are not visible in the de-cision-making positions in somesectors including in the politicalfield. This is despite the fact thatwomen constitute more thanhalf the population in mostSADC countries, as well as thefact that, on election day,women usually turn up in thelargest numbers to cast theirballot. Various challenges hinderthe participation of women inpolitics and decision-making.

G E N D E R

sAdc Protocol on gender and development @10

The SADC Protocol on Gender and Development was adopted 10 years ago in 2008. The protocol was revised in 2016 so that its objectives are aligned to various global targetsand emerging issues. For example, the revised protocol now captures emerging issues such asclimate change and child marriages. Child marriages are one of the contributing factors to the slow progress in the reduction ofmaternal mortality, but the definition of a child by age remains controversial. The revised protocol is also aligned with other provisions of various regional instrumentssuch as those relating to sustainable management of the environment, and the SADC Industri-alisation Strategy and Roadmap of 2015. r

spotlight on gender parity as five sAdc countries prepare for polls

for the empowerment ofwomen and the elimination ofdiscrimination.” Political participation ofwomen is relatively lowthroughout the region, and gen-der representation in parliamentranges from 6.1 percent inUnion of Comoros to 46.2 per-cent in Namibia. Of the countries headed forelections, the proportions ofwomen in Parliament accordingto the Inter-ParliamentaryUnion as of April 2018 are DRC8.9 percent, Madagascar 19.2percent, Mozambique 39.6 per-cent, Swaziland 6.2 percent andZimbabwe 33.2 percent. It is critical at this juncturefor the region to ensure that thenumber of women in parlia-ment is strengthened. r



• Capture information relatedto experts who have beentrained in election observa-tion, mediation or migration;

• Capture information relatedto the technical and statu-

SADC IS developing an onlineplatform that will track imple-mentation of decisions and in-terventions by the Organ onPolitics, Defense and SecurityCooperation. The SADC Organ on Poli-tics, Defense and Security Co-operation is mandated topromote peace and security inthe region by providing Mem-ber States with directionregarding matters that threatenpeace, security and stability. The proposed Organ Direc-torate Information System(ODIS) aims to create a plat-form to automate the variousprocesses undertaken by theOrgan Directorate at the SADCSecretariat. These processes includecountry profiling, conflict track-ing, mediation field support, ca-pacity building, early warningresearch and reporting. The SADC Secretariat isseeking to identify a consultantto develop the online platform,which will capture and profileMember States in accordancewith their population, eco-nomic information and politi-cal information. Ultimately, the online sys-tem should:• Enable timely collection

and reporting of data ofpeace and security relatedinformation for the OrganDirectorate;

• Capture information re-lated to election observa-tion and election observers;

• Capture information re-lated to mediation assess-ments and action plans foreach member state;

• Capture information for thedifferent sectors in theorgan inclusive of Police,Planning, Defence and Pris-ons among others;

P E A C E & S E C U R I T Y

Regional online platform to track sAdc Organ interventions

function of the Organ directorate

The oRGAN on Politics, Defence and Security (Organ) waslaunched in June 1996 as a formal institution of SADC with themandate to support the achievement and maintenance of se-curity and the rule of law in the region. The Organ is one of the directorates of the SADC Secretariatwhose main mandate is to act as an instrument for ensuringand supporting the political and socio-economic security andsafety of the Southern African region. The SADC Treaty, the Protocol on Politics, Defence and Se-curity Cooperation, and the Strategic Indicative Plan for theOrgan (SIPO) II are the key documents that guide the activitiesof the Organ. SIPO was developed to guide the implementation of theProtocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. Within the structure of the SADC Secretariat, the Organ isoverseen by the Executive Secretary. r

sAdc Opens Liaison Office in dRc

tory committees of theorgan; and

• Provide a knowledgerepository for information,data and reports related tobest practises and lessons

learned, gathered duringmissions and assignmentrelated to the organ coreduties. r

SADC hAS opened a LiaisonOffice in the Democratic Re-public of Congo (DRC) to mon-itor and provide electoralsupport to the country. Speaking at the officialopening ceremony on 16 April,SADC Executive Secretary, DrStergomena Lawrence Tax saidthe office strengthens the pres-ence of the regional organisa-tion in the DRC, and providesan avenue for closer collabora-tion with stakeholders in thecountry in the continued effortsby SADC to support the coun-try to attain sustainable peace,security, political stability andsocio-economic development. Among others, the SADC Li-aison Office in DRC will serve to

coordinate SADC’s ongoing po-litical, electoral and security sup-port initiatives in the country. The office will enable SADCto identify specific areas whereits support is required, in liai-son with the DRC governmentas well as national, continentaland regional stakeholders. Dr Tax commended theDRC government, political par-ties, the National IndependentElectoral Commission (CENI),religious organizations andother stakeholders for their ef-forts and progress made in en-suring peace and stability in thecountry. She implored stakeholdersin DRC to refrain from anyform of violence and find ami-

cable ways of resolving theirdifferences in order to create aconducive environment for theconduct of peaceful and credi-ble elections in December 2018. CENI has set 23 Decemberas the date for the long-awaitedDRC parliamentary and presi-dential elections. r

masisi is thenew President of BotswanaMoKGWeeTSI MASISIis the new president ofBotswana. He was sworn-in on 1 April followingthe retirement of SeretseKhama Ian Khama. Previously as Vice Presi-dent, Masisi was the deputyto Khama, and he becomesBotswana’s fifth presidentsince independence in 1966. The norm in the rulingBotswana Democratic Partyis that the president stepsdown a year before the sec-ond term of office ends, andhands over to a successorwho will campaign in thenext election after settlingin for a year. Botswana is scheduled tohold elections in 2019, andthe country uses a singleconstituency electoral sys-tem of First Past the Post forthe election of Members ofParliament. Elected MPs then act asan electoral college tochoose the President.r


The Senate is made up of80 members, comprising sixrepresentatives elected on aproportional representationbasis from each of the 10provinces as well as two rep-resentatives of persons withdisabilities.

The remainder will be18 traditional chiefs, compris-ing the president anddeputy president of the Na-tional Council of Chiefsand two chiefs each fromeight provinces that excludethe two metropolitanprovinces of Harare and Bul-awayo.

Zimbabwe introduced a“zebra-list” system for nomi-nation of senate candidates forthe first time in the 2013 elec-tions.

Under this system, politicalparties are required to submitlists of candidates showingwomen and men alternating,with a woman at the top ofeach list.

The zebra-list system isused for parliamentary andlocal government elections inother SADC Member Statessuch as Lesotho, Namibia andSouth Africa.

In the last elections held in2013, Zanu-PF won the presi-dential polls by 61 percent ofthe vote against 34 percent forMDC-T.

In the parliamentaryelections, Zanu-PF won 159seats, or 76 percent, of the 210elective seats in the NationalAssembly, giving it more thanthe two-thirds majority. TheMDC-T got 50 seats, about 24percent of the vote. r

presidential, parliamentaryand local government candi-dates.

The 30 July elections willmark the first time that thecountry has used the Biomet-ric Voter Registration (BVR)technology. The BVR technol-ogy captures physical featuressuch as the face and finger-prints for identification pur-poses.

As of 8 May, a total of5,439,822 people had regis-tered to vote, according toZEC. Of these, 2,953,142 or54.3 percent were womenwhile the remainder weremen.

Zimbabwe’s electoral sys-tem is a “first past the post”system for presidential, parlia-mentary and local electionswhere the candidate with themost votes wins.

The National Assembly ismade up of 210 elected mem-bers and an additional 60 seatsreserved for women.

There are six seats reservedfor women in each of the 10administrative provinces inZimbabwe, with the memberselected through a system ofproportional representationbased on the votes cast forcandidates representing par-ties contesting parliamentaryelections in each of theprovinces.

Under a new Constitutionadopted in May 2013, the pro-vision for reserved seats forwomen will apply for twoelections, which means thatthe forthcoming polls will bethe last time this requirementwill apply.


The conduct of all observermissions will be guided by theprovisions of Zimbabwe’selectoral law and the Constitu-tion. After the elections, themissions will be expected toproduce their reports on theelection process, as to whetherthe polls were free, fair andcredible.

President Mnangagwahas pledged to hold free andfair elections, and has alsourged voters and all otherpolitical parties and stake-holders to maintain peace be-fore, during and after theelections.

The elections mark the firsttime that the two main politi-cal parties – the ZimbabweAfrican National Union Patri-otic Front (Zanu-PF) and theMovement for DemocraticChange-Tsvangirai (MDC-T) –are fielding new presidentialcandidates.

Mnangagwa is the Zanu-PF presidential candidatefollowing the resignation ofRobert Mugabe in November2017, while Nelson Chamisaassumed the MDC-T leader-ship following the deathof Morgan Tsvangirai in Feb-ruary.

According to the Zim-babwe Electoral Commission(ZEC), more than 120 politicalparties have registered to takepart in the elections, althoughthe exact number of presiden-tial candidates is still notknown.

The nomination court isdue to sit on 14 June in thevarious provinces to acceptnominations from aspiring

ZIMBABWeANS WIll go tothe polls on 30 July to elect anew president, parliamentari-ans and councillors in water-shed elections.

President EmmersonMnangagwa said in the eventthat there is no outright win-ner in the presidential elec-tions, a run-off election will beheld on 8 September.

Election observers from 46countries and 15 regional andinternational organisations areexpected to observe the ea-gerly awaited Zimbabwe har-monised elections.

The observers includethose from the Common-wealth, European Union,United States, Britain, and theUnited Nations – who will beobserving the elections for thefirst time in nearly twodecades.

The decision to invite theobservers is in line with thenew government drive to re-engage with the internationalcommunity following years of“frosty relations” as well as acommitment by Zimbabwe tohold free and fair polls.

Some of the observerssuch as the SADC Election Ob-server Mission and those fromthe Common Market for East-ern and Southern Africa(COMESA) have alreadybegan dispatching their mis-sions to assess Zimbabwe’sstate of preparedness for theforthcoming elections.

As per tradition, the ob-servers will observe the elec-tions in three phases: thepre-election, election-day andpost-election phases.

Zimbabwe prepares for watershed elections

E L E C T I O N S



June – August 2018

June 5, Global World Environment Day

The annual celebrations are intended to raise awareness on the needto conserve and protect the environment. The theme for this year is“Beat Plastic Pollution”.

6-8, Rwanda Africa Innovation Summit 2018The summit is an initiative aimed at harnessing and mobilizingpolicy makers, investors, innovators, researchers and youths into acoalition for collective action to promote and build an enablingenvironment for innovation in Africa.

17, Global World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought The day is observed every year to promote public awareness onthe need to combat and reduce desertification.

19-22, Mauritius Africa Energy ForumThe Africa Energy Forum brings together governments, powerutilities and major players in the energy sector of Africa and the restof the world to focus on delivery of power infrastructure in Africa.The forum is the global investment meeting for Africa’s power,energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors.

25-28, SADC Gender Ministers Meeting South Africa The SADC Gender and Women’s Affairs Ministers meet annually to

review the regional gender programme. The meeting presents anopportunity for member states to share progress on theimplementation of gender commitments.

25 June-2 July, 31st African Union SummitMauritania The 31st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and

Government of the African Union will run under the theme“Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’sTransformation”. The summit is preceded by an Ordinary session ofthe executive council on 28-29 June.

July 30, Zimbabwe Harmonized Elections in Zimbabwe

Zimbabweans will go to polls to elect a president, members ofparliament (national assembly and senate), and local councillorsfor the next five years.

23, South Africa SADC Ministerial Task Force on Regional IntegrationThe taskforce will discuss progress in the implementation of various SADC decisions on regional economic integration. These includeimplementation of the Costed Action Plan of the SADCIndustrialisation Strategy and Roadmap.

30– 1 August, SADC Industrialization Week Namibia The week-long event aims to popularize the SADC Industrialization

Strategy and Roadmap approved in 2015. Now in its third year, theannual event comprises a high-level conference to discuss ways ofaccelerating the SADC industrialization agenda as well as anexhibition by governments, companies, research institutions andother stakeholders.

August17-18, Namibia 38th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government

SADC leaders meet annually in August for their Summit to discussissues aimed at promoting regional integration and development.The summit is preceded by meetings of senior officials and Councilof Ministers. Host President Hage Geingob of Namibia will assumethe SADC chair from his South African counterpart CyrilRamaphosa.

TBA Southern African Regional Climate Outlook ForumClimate experts from SADC Member States will meet to review theregional climate outlook, using indicators of seasonal rainfall toproduce a regional forecast for the 2018/19 rainfall season.

E V E N T SSOUTHERN

AFRICA TODAY

SADC TODAY VOL 20 NO 4 JUNE 2018

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAYis produced as a reference source of

activities and opportunities in theSouthern African Development Community, and a guide for

decision-makers at all levels of national and regional development.

Southern African Development CommunitySADC Secretariat, SADC House, Private Bag 0095,

Gaborone, BotswanaTel +267 395 1863 Fax +267 397 2848/318 1070E-mail [email protected] Website www.sadc.int

SOUTHERN AFRICATODAY is published six times a year by the Southern AfricanResearch and Documentation Centre (SARDC) for the SADC Secretariat in Gaborone,Botswana, as a reliable knowledge source on regional development. Articles may be

reproduced freely in the media and elsewhere, with attribution.

EDITORMunetsi Madakufamba

EDITORIAL COMMITTEEJoseph Ngwawi, Kizito Sikuka, Egline Tauya, Admire Ndhlovu,

Phyllis Johnson, Danai Majaha, Kumbirai Nhongo, Anesu Ngadya , Tariro Sasa,Nyarai Kampilipili, Tanaka Chitsa, Lynette Chitambo, Tonderai Mpofu,

Monica Mutero

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is supported by the Austrian Development Agency, insupport of the SADC Energy Thematic Group of International Cooperating Partners,

which is co-chaired by Austria.

© SADC, SARDC, 2018

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY welcomes contributions from individuals andorganizations within the SADC region in form of articles, photographs, news itemsand comments, and also relevant articles from outside the region. The publishersreserve the right to select or reject items, and to edit to fit the space available. The

contents do not necessarily reflect the official positions or opinions of SADC or SARDC.

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A shared future within a regional community

JuNe IS a special month in the history of Seychelles. The country gained its independence from Britain on 29 June 1976. The

month also witnessed the historic adoption of the current Constitution on18 June 1993, which saw the introduction of a multiparty political system.

To celebrate these achievements, Seychelles combined the two events in1993 and commemorated them on 18 June as National Day.

However, starting in 2015, National Day was moved to its original dateof 29 June, which is the actual independence date of the 115-island archipel-ago in the Indian Ocean.

June 18 is now marked as Constitution Day to celebrate the adoption ofthe current constitution.

On this day, thousands of people attend celebratory events that includeparades, a flower show, music, and a presidential speech.

The road to independence was a long one for Seychelles.In the 1760s, the French invaded and assumed control of Seychelles, nam-

ing the islands after Jean Moreau de Sechelles who was the Minister of Fi-nance in France.

The French kept control over the islands until the early 1790s when theBritish started to assert their presence.

In 1794, Britain annexed Seychelles and the island was administered fromMauritius until 1903 when it became a separate British colony.

As the population grew and the plantations expanded, the British werequick to effect economic and social changes in the islands by doing awaywith slavery and compensation was paid to owners of sugarcane planta-tions.

However, like France, the British used the islands for keeping prisoners.In the late 19th and early 20th century conflict broke out between Indian

labourers and plantation owners.At the political level, there was increased pressure for Britain to cede

power to the locals.In 1964, the newly formed parties, the Seychelles People’s United Party,

which was a socialist party led by France-Albert René, and the pro-businessSeychelles Democratic Party led by James Mancham petitioned the UnitedKingdom for independence.

An agreement was reached with elections held in 1974, and won by theSeychelles Democratic Party. However, Seychelles remained under Britishcontrol, and continued to press for total independence.

This was finally achieved on 26 June 1976, when Seychelles became in-dependent and was governed by a coalition, with Mancham as presidentand René as prime minister.

This lasted for one year, until 5 June 1977 when Mancham was removedin a coup, with René installed as president.

In 1978, the government enacted a new constitution, turning the Sey-chelles into a one-party state. On 27 December 1991 the constitution was ad-justed in order to make allowance for other political parties.

However, it was only on 18 June 1993 that the current constitution of Sey-chelles was approved and the first ever multiparty legislative and presiden-tial elections were held in July.

René won that election and the next three elections that followed until hestepped down in 2004 when he handed over power to the current PresidentJames Michel.

Since then the island nation has made significant progress towards socio-economic development as well as promoting peace and stability. r

25H I S T O R YT O D A Y

SIR SeReTSe Khama Day is a national holiday officiallydesignated to honour the first president of Botswana.

This is celebrated on the birthday of Seretse Khamawho was born on 1 July 1921 and became the first leaderof Botswana at independence on 30 September 1966.

He died of pancreatic cancer on 13 July 1980. SeretseKhama was one of the Founding Fathers of SADC, and hewas father to former President Seretse Khama Ian Khama.

Seretse Khama was succeeded by Ketumile Masirewho had been his deputy since 1965. Masire became thesecond president of Botswana from 1980 to 1998 andpassed away at age 91 on 22 June 2017. r

Remembering seretse Khama, masire

1 June international day of child Angola15-16 June Eid al fitr + (End of Ramadan)* malawi, Tanzania, mauritius 18 June constitution day seychelles25 June independence day mozambique26 June independence day madagascar29 June independence day seychelles30 June independence day dRc 1 July sir seretse Khama day Botswana2 July Public holiday Botswana2 July heroes day Zambia3 July unity day Zambia6 July independence day malawi7 July saba saba Tanzania16 July President’s day Botswana17 July President’s day holiday Botswana17 July King’s Birthday Lesotho22 July Public holiday swaziland23 July King’s father Birthday swaziland

1 August Parents’ day dRc6 August farmers’ day Zambia8 August nane nane Peasant day Tanzania9 August Women’s day south Africa13 August heroes’ day Zimbabwe14 August defence forces day Zimbabwe15 August Assumption day madagascar, seychelles15 August Assumption of the Blessed Virgin mary mauritius

17 August sAdc day** All22 August Eid al Adha Tanzania26 August heroes’ day namibia27 August Public holiday namibia31 August umhlanga Reed dance swaziland

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN SADCJune - August 2018

YEARS

Seychelles celebrates independence …and 25 years since adoption of Constitution


realigning infrastructure with industrialisation sadc ... · able projects, is the prioritisation...

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