STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER
DR B.SIBUSISO DLAMINI
AT THE SADC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS MEETING
AT LOZITHA GRAND HALL, LOBAMBA
FRIDAY 26 AUGUST 2016
Honourable Ministers of SADC countries
SADC Senior Officers
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my great honour, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, to welcome you all to the Kingdom of Swaziland and to this, the meeting of the SADC Council Ministers. The entire nation of the Kingdom of Swaziland feels immensely privileged that our country is hosting this year’s SADC Summit. I do hope that all our visitors have found their accommodation and supporting arrangements to their satisfaction.
In 36 years, our regional partnership has progressed through many stages of development, with its mainly small economies ideally suited for, and needing, an active promotion of inter-state trade and the potential economies of scale arising from the rationalization and integration of infrastructure projects and economic activity. Adding the very obvious benefits from political harmony has made a compelling justification in the drive for increased regional integration. Over those decades, the infrastructure projects, development corridors, political stability initiatives, protocols, biodiversity conservation, disaster risk reduction strategies and tourism collaboration have reflected a powerful spirit of collaboration among member countries. That is a real achievement when scanning globally in the present day. We can be proud of that.
But, as we see elsewhere in the world, there remain challenges. Developing policies, strategies and realistic and achievable action programmes, and delivering timeously in a manner that is faithful to the strategies, is not an easy process. It is therefore undeniable that a tight, pro-active monitoring of progress against plan is a crucially important component of delivery.
This meeting today of the Council of Ministers is very much part of that essential component. Your role in reviewing and taking forward, to the subsequent meeting of our heads of state, the reports and achievements of our functionaries and stakeholders is one of great influence in the process.
The Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) is the definitive way forward for SADC, and clearly the faster industrialization of our countries is a key part of that strategy, with resource mobilization for energy infrastructure development a major challenge. I had the honour, yesterday, of welcoming the participants to the SADC Industrialisation Week and I trust that this Council of Ministers will derive satisfaction at the rate of progress made in the preparation of the Costed Action Plan.
Indeed, the costing of the revised RISDP itself will also be an important item in the Ministerial review process today, at the same time that an assessment is made of implementation to date in the priority areas.
Honourable Ministers, your agenda is a full one and far be it for me to delay this esteemed Council from starting today’s programme. I would, however, respectfully add the recommendation that time be given to the subject of adequate resource mobilization of resources to fund the emergency areas of need in our countries arising from the present drought.
I do hope that, at the end of this busy week, you will also be able to see something of our country and, in particular, be available to join us in the celebration of our Umhlanga Ceremony on Monday 29 August.
On behalf of His Majesty’s Government I would like to express our deepest gratitude to all Ministers for taking part in today’s meeting, and wish you the most productive of deliberations.
Thank you.