01 Dec 2014

SADC and Germany have signed agreed minutes on cooperation in preparation for new round of German commitments to be made during the SADC-GDC negotiations mid-2015.

The SADC-German cooperation aimed at supporting the deepening of regional integration for the benefit of the people of SADC region. 

Speaking at the signing ceremony at the SADC secretariat headquarters in Gaborone recently, the German Ambassador to Botswana and Observer to SADC, Mr Rolf Ulrich said his country had been cooperating with SADC for more than 20 years.

Mr Ulrich said the support included the alignment of their cooperation with plans and strategies that had been decided upon by SADC, given that it had its Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) that is currently under review, adding that the German cooperation would be aligned to the SADC RISDP.

Ambassador Ulrich said his government was committed to further cooperation with SADC, because they were of the view that the African Union and regional economic community including SADC were important to bring African continent forward.

The cooperation, he said also aimed at improving the life’s of people living in the continent, by creating jobs, improving economic and social wellbeing as well as giving people a better future, adding that can only be better done through regional and economic integration.

For her part, SADC executive secretary, Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax outlined the objectives of SADC as promoting sustainable economic growth, socio-economic development and poverty eradication through regional cooperation and integration.

“I am happy to confirm that the current areas of SADC/Germany cooperation and the new priority areas that we have agreed on, which will be finalised during our bilateral negotiations in 2015, are all in line with the revised SADC RISDP, she said.Dr Lawrence Tax said the revised four RISDP priorities for 2015-2020 are industrial development and market integration, adding that industrialisation is now the focus of their regional cooperation.

Another priority, she said is infrastructure in support of regional integration, peace and security cooperation, adding that a region cannot have development, sustainable cooperation, if it is not politically stable and peaceful.

SADC executive secretary, further said another priority area is special programmes of regional dimension, which include natural resources and food security.

She said their special focus is on regional economic integration and infrastructure, peace, security and good governance, management and protection of biodiversity and resilience to climate change and SADC organizational capacity development.

Dr Lawrence Tax said they also agreed on how to enhance their cooperation through various channels of support and on engaging synergies and complementarities, while avoiding duplications and overlaps, and making the most effective use of resources.

Early this week, the two parties met and successfully concluded one-day consultations on the future of SADC-German cooperation which led to the signing of agreed minutes

The two parties also released a joint press statement which states that at the outset, both sides recognised the significance and value added of more than 20 years of cooperation during which the German government has committed around € 300 million (about P3.4billion) for SADC.

It says that at the signing ceremony of the summary record, Ambassador Ulrich announced further German, commitments to SADC.

The release says in 2014 the German government availed an additional €26 million Euro to SADC to carry out the joint programmes amongst them, peace, security and good governance which was financed at the tune of € 3million (P34.3 million)

It further states that € 8 million (91.6 million) was disbursed for Trans-boundary use and protection of natural resources in the SADC region, € 10 million (P114. 5 million) was disbursed for regional fund for water supply and basic sanitation while 5 million Euro (P57. 7 million) went to Transfrontier Conservation Area Great Limpopo.

Germany is the one of the key partners providing technical and financial support for the implementation of the SADC Common Agenda.  ENDS