SOUTHERN AFRICATODAY - Knowledge for Development

SADC TODAY Vol. 17 No 2 February 2015

by Kizito Sikuka

THE YEAR 2015 promises to be an excitingperiod for southern Africa, with crucial re-gional processes to be concluded and dead-lines for regional and global milestonesbeckoning during the next 12 months.

The region is expected to defineits in-dustrialisation strategy when leaders of the15 Member States converge in Zimbabwethis year for an Extraordinary Summit thatwill shape the overall integration agendafor the region.

The summit, which is tentatively set forApril/May, will discuss ways in which theregion could improve its industrial capacityas it aims to move away from an economicpath built on consumption and commodityexports onto a sustainable developmentalpath based on value-addition and benefici-ation.

At the Summit held in Victoria Falls,Zimbabwe, in August 2014, SADC Heads ofState and Government mandated the Min-isterial Task Force on Regional EconomicIntegration to meet by March 2015 and de-velop a strategy and roadmap for industri-alisation of the region.

POLICY 3

LEADERSHIP 4-5

PEACE AND SECURITY 6

ENERGY 7

AFRICAN UNION 8-9

DISASTER RISK 10-11

CLIMATE CHANGE 12

TRADE 13

BUSINESS BRIEFS 14

EVENTS 15

HISTORY TODAY 16

2015Regional IntegrationTowards a Common Future

The leaders directed that the ministerialtask force, which comprises the ministersresponsible for trade and industry, finance,economic planning and infrastructure de-velopment, be supported by a technicalteam on industrialisation.

Summit also considered the draft re-vised Regional Indicative Strategic Devel-opment Plan (RISDP) 2015-2020 andendorsed the Council decision that theCommittee of Ministers of Trade, assistedby the Secretariat, should review PriorityA in the revised RISDP, particularly thesequencing of targeted outputs on indus-trial development and trade liberalisationto ensure that industrialisation is priori-tized.

Summit felt that the implementation ofthe pillar on industrial development andmarket integration was skewed in favourof trade issues, with little progress madeon the industrialisation component.

The Secretariat has engaged a team ofprominent experts/organisations to sup-port Member States in developing a prac-tical, effective, and implementable strategyand roadmap for industrialisation in theregion.

SOUTHERN

AFRICA TODAY

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2 SOUTHERN AFRICA Today, February 2015

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

The importance of industri-alisation was acknowledged bythe SADC leaders as far back as2003 when they adopted theRISDP, which among others,advocated for the diversifica-tion of the industrial structureand exports with more empha-sis on value-addition across allsectors by 2015.

The SADC Protocol onTrade further recognises theimportance of industrialisationin the context of the implemen-tation of the SADC Free TradeArea (FTA).

Article 4(2) of the SADCProtocol on Trade states thatthe elimination of import dutiesunder the SADC FTA “shouldbe accompanied by an industri-alisation strategy to improvethe competitiveness of MemberStates”.

Given the importance at-tached to industrialisation, anumber of initiatives have beenput in place.

The most comprehensiveinitiative relates to the Indus-trial Upgrading and Modern-ization Programme (IUMP),adopted by the Committee ofMinisters of Trade in 2009 toimplement the RISDP compo-nent on industrialisation.

The IUMP seeks tostrengthen the competitivenessof existing industrial capacityand promote the developmentof regional value chains in se-lected sectors across the region.

With regard to genderequality, 2015 is regarded as awatershed year for SADC as itis the year set as the deadlinefor the attainment of the targetof equal representation ofwomen and men in all key de-cision-making positions.

Although significantprogress has been made to-wards attainment of the targetof 50:50 gender representationin decision-making positions, a

lot more still needs to be doneto ensure that this is achievedby the end of 2015.

According to the SADCGender Monitor 2013 producedby the Southern African Re-search and DocumentationCentre for the SADC GenderUnit, only five SADC MemberStates were close to the target ofparity in parliament by mid-2013, having gone above the 30-percent previous threshold setby regional leaders.

These are Seychelles (43.8percent), South Africa (42.3 per-cent), Mozambique (39.2 per-cent), Tanzania (36 percent) andAngola (34.1 percent). Zim-babwe (31.5 percent) joined thislist in the 31 July 2013 electionswhile a number of other SADCcountries are still below the 20percent mark.

The African Union has de-clared 2015 as the year of“Women’s Empowerment andDevelopment Towards Africa’sAgenda 2063”, to encouragecountries to speed up the im-plementation of protocols andinstruments aimed at promot-ing gender equality and parity.

On the political scene, threecountries – Zambia, Lesothoand the United Republic ofTanzania – will go to the pollsduring the year to elect newleadership.

Zambia went to the polls on20-21 January to choose a newleader following the death ofPresident Michael Sata in Octo-ber 2014.

Former Justice and DefenceMinister, Edgar Lungu waselected president. He becomesZambia’s sixth president sinceindependence on 24 October1964.

Lungu will be in office untilthe next general electionsscheduled for 2016.

Lesotho is set to go to thepolls on 28 February to elect a

new government. This followsa SADC-mediated agreementto bring forward the electionsfrom 2017 to ensure that stabil-ity returns to the Kingdom fol-lowing an alleged attemptedcoup in August 2014.

SADC facilitator, SouthAfrican Deputy PresidentCyril Ramaphosa, has led theregional effort to create peaceand stability in Lesotho afterdisturbances in the countrylast year.

Tanzania is yet to set thedate for its presidential andparliamentary elections. Thecountry has always held itselections in the last quarter ofthe year.

In accordance with the Tan-zanian constitution, incumbentPresident Jakaya Kikwete willnot take part in the elections ashe is serving his second andfinal term.

Tanzania is also expected tohold a referendum on a newconstitution on 30 April.Ifadopted, the new constitutionwill replace the one approvedin 1977.

SADC will also be seizedduring the year with the secu-rity situation in eastern Demo-cratic Republic of Congo whererebel activity continues despitea peace agreement.

Infrastructure and energydevelopment will remainkey intervention areas in 2015,as an efficient and cost-effec-tive transport network andstable energy supplies arecritical to a thriving economyat both national and regionallevels.

With respect to energy de-velopment, southern Africa isexpected to make progress to-wards increasing the use ofclean and alternative energythrough the establishment ofthe SADC Regional Centre forRenewable Energy and En-ergy Efficiency.

A total of five countries --Botswana, Mozambique,Namibia, South Africa andZimbabwe –have expressed in-terest in hosting the centre,which would spearhead thepromotion of renewable energydevelopment in the region.

Another important mile-stone for SADC and the rest ofthe global community isachieving targets set out in theMillennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs).

The global community hasagreed to develop SustainableDevelopment Goals to ensurethat the momentum achievedin implementing MDGs ismaintained. r

SADC HAS assumed leadership of the African Union follow-ing the election of its candidate, the Zimbabwean PresidentRobert Mugabe as chairperson of the Assembly of AU Headsof State and Government. Mugabe, who is the current SADCchairperson, will lead the AU for the next year, and takes overfrom Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. Hewill be deputized by presidents Joseph Kabila of the Demo-cratic Republic of Congo as the first vice chair; and Ma-hamadou Issoufou of Niger and Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya assecond and third vice chairs, respectively. r

2015 Regional IntegrationTowards a Common Future

SADC assumesAU leadership

SADC WILL this month hostthe 4th meeting of the multi-stakeholder task force on thereview of the Regional Indica-tive Strategic DevelopmentPlan.

The meeting, scheduledfor Harare, Zimbabwe on, 22-23 February, is expected to val-idate the contents of theupdated Draft Revised RISDP2015-2020 and the Draft Im-plementation Framework forthe blueprint.

The last meeting of thetask force was held in VictoriaFalls, Zimbabwe in August2014, following which theDraft Revised RISDP was pre-sented to the Council of Min-isters for approval.

Council did not, however,approve the Draft RevisedRISDP and directed the SADCSecretariat to finalise the doc-ument by frontloading indus-trialisation and itsimplementation strategy forconsideration in March 2015.

The draft Revised RISDP2015-2020 has been updatedand a Draft ImplementationFramework has been devel-oped.

Both documents are sub-ject to further consultationswith the Ministerial TaskForce on Regional EconomicIntegration to ensure thatindustrialisation is accordedcentrestage at this stage ofintegration in the SADC re-gion.

The Revised RISDP identi-fies four main priorities to bepursued by the region from2015-2020.

Priority A seeks to pro-mote industrial developmentand market integrationthrough, among other things,strengthening the productivecompetitiveness and supply

side capacity of MemberStates as well as improvingmovement of goods and facil-itating financial market inte-gration and monetarycooperation.

Priority B is on provisionand improvement of infra-structure support for regionalintegration.

Priority D is on promo-tion of special programmes ofregional dimension underclusters such as educationand human resource devel-opment; health, HIV andAIDS and other communica-ble diseases; food securityand trans-boundary natural

RISDP task force to discuss revised RISDP

P O L I C Y

SOUTHERN AFRICA Today 3

resources; environment; sta-tistics; gender equality; andscience, technology and inno-vation and research and de-velopment.

The above three prioritieswill be underpinned by Pri-ority C on promotion ofpeace and security coopera-tion as a pre-requisite forachieving the regional inte-gration agenda.

The RISDP is a 15-yearstrategic plan approved bySADC leaders in 2003 as ablueprint for regional integra-tion and development.

The plan has been underreview since 2010 as part of ef-

forts to realign the region’s de-velopment agenda in line withnew realities and emergingglobal dynamics.

The first review was adesk assessment by the SADCSecretariat in 2010, followedby an independent mid-termreview in 2013, and anotherassessment done by a multi-stakeholder task force as di-rected by the 2013 SADCSummit held in Lilongwe,Malawi.

Once the Revised RISDP isadopted, the plan is set to pro-vide the impetus for deeperintegration among SADCMember States. r

SADC to develop guidelines for extractive industry SOUTHERN AFRICA is inthe process of developingguidelines for the extractiveindustry aimed at assisting theregion to fully harness and ex-ploit its natural resources suchas minerals in reserves or pro-tected area.

This is in realization of thefact that SADC continues to beamong the poorest in theworld despite the abundantnatural resources in the re-gion.

For example, southernAfrica is home to a variety ofnatural resources includingminerals such as diamonds,gold and platinum.

Furthermore, roughlyhalf of the world’s vanadium,platinum, and diamondsoriginate in the region, alongwith an estimated 36 percentof gold and 20 percent ofcobalt.

In this regard, the SADCSecretariat, with support In-ternational Union for Conser-vation of Nature (IUCN)

Biodiversity and ProtectedArea Management Pro-gramme, is in the process ofengaging experts to developthe content for the RegionalExtractive Industry and biodi-versity guidelines.

The regional guidelinewill be based on the outlineand inputs suggested by aSeptember 2014 extractive in-dustry workshop organizedby SADC.

The workshop, whichbrought together government,private sector and civil societyrepresentatives of the extrac-tive industry and biodiversitysector, discussed, among otherthings, how these two sectorscan better work together to re-duce the impacts of mineraland hydrocarbon exploitationon biodiversity and relatedecosystems in the SADC re-gion.

A draft framework for theregional guidelines was devel-oped to guide governmentsand the private sector to

proactively consider andmainstream biodiversity tomitigate degradation of keyecosystem services and biodi-versity areas.

The development of theguidelines will include a re-view of relevant interna-tional, regional and localguidelines in the context ofextractive industries and bio-diversity, with the view ofidentifying key content andreferences for the SADC re-gional guideline within theexisting outline.

Some of the specific docu-ments to be review include thefollowing:• SADC Biodiversity Action

Plan;• SADC biodiversity Strategy;• SADC Guidelines for

strengthening River BasinOrganisations;

• EI Workshop Report;• South Africa: Mining and

Biodiversity Guideline; and • Other international best

practice. r


pendence from Portugal in1975, and the first president tooriginate from the north of thevast country that stretches2,470 kilometres along thesouth-east coast of Africa be-tween Tanzania and SouthAfrica, although President Ar-mando Guebuza, from thesouth, grew up in the north.

Nyusi, a former DefenceMinister, was born at Muedain the northernmost provinceof Cabo Delgado, which bor-ders on southern Tanzania.

Cabo Delgado was theheart and headquarters of thewar of liberation in Mozam-bique (1964-1975), supportedby Tanzania.

Both countries have re-cently identified significant re-serves of natural gas offshorein the border area, and many

strategic minerals are locatedin the area.

Nyusi, 56, was brought upin the national liberationmovement that won inde-pendence from colonial rule.

Both of Nyusi’s parentswere veterans of the war, whichwas just starting at the time hewas taken across the nearbyRuvuma River, the boundarywith Tanzania, to the Frelimoprimary school at Tunduru justacross the border.

Nyusi is from the Makondeethnic group, and theMakonde African NationalUnion (later MozambiqueAfrican National Union) wasone of the first movementsformed to demand independ-ence, and one of three partiesthat came together to formFrelimo in 1962. r

L E A D E R S H I P

NEWLY ELECTED Mozambi-can President Filipe Nyusiwas sworn into office on 15January during a ceremonywitnessed by several otherSADC leaders.

He pledged to continue withthe work of his predecessors indeveloping the country.

“My pledge is to serve theMozambican people as myonly and exclusive boss. Mypledge is to respect, and en-sure that others respect, theconstitution and the laws ofMozambique. I am ready. I amconfident that together we willbuild a bright future for ourchildren,” Nyusi said at his in-auguration held at Independ-ence Square in Maputo.

He said the new govern-ment “will be practical andpragmatic” and will be“guided by the objectives ofcutting costs and fightingagainst unnecessary expendi-ture”.

He promised to addresscrime and corruption, addingthat he will consolidate the“fundamental gains” of theMozambican people, namelyindependence, national unityand peace.

“I will do all I can to ensurethat brother no longer fightsagainst brother, no matterwhat the pretext,” he said.

Nyusi said Mozambiquewill be “a strategic partner inthe affirmation of a broader andmore robust business class.”

The inauguration cere-mony was attended by severalregional leaders, includingKing Letsie III of Lesotho,Namibian President Hi-fikepunye Pohamba, Presi-dent Jacob Zuma of South

THE INDEPENDENT Elec-toral Commission of Lesothohas said the country is readyto hold credible elections inFebruary.

Commissioner MakaseNyapisi said despite concernsover the state of the voters rolland limited budget, the elec-toral commission is “deter-mined to deliver a credibleelection.”

“Basotho should know thatwe are more than ready to de-liver credible elections,”Nyapisi said in an interviewwith the Sunday Express news-paper.

Lesotho will go to the pollson 28 February to choose newMembers of Parliament after

the country’s political stake-holders agreed to hold earlyelections ahead of the originaldate of 2017 in a bid to end in-stability that has affected thecountry since August last year.

There are 21 political par-ties and 15 independent candi-dates who have registeredwith the Independent Elec-toral Commission to partici-pate in the elections.

These include the All Ba-sotho Convention led byPrime Minister Thomas Tha-bane, the main oppositionDemocratic Congress headedby ex-premier Pakalitha Mo-sisili, the Lesotho Congress forDemocracy led by DeputyPrime Minister Mothetjoa

Metsing, and the Basotho Na-tional Party headed byMorena Maseribane.

Thabane, Metsing andMaseribane have been in anuneasy coalition governmentsince the last elections in 2012.

The South African DeputyPresident, Cyril Ramaphosa, isleading mediation efforts inthe kingdom following a polit-ical crisis allegedly triggeredwhen Thabane, facing a voteof no-confidence, suspendedParliament in June 2014.r

Lesotho ready for elections

Africa and President JakayaKikwete of the United Repub-lic of Tanzania, as well asVice-President PhelekazelaMphoko representing Presi-dent Robert Mugabe of Zim-babwe, who is the currentSADC chairperson.

The ceremony was also wit-nessed by the Portuguese Pres-ident, Anibal Cavaco Silva.

Nyusi takes over from Pres-ident Armando Guebuza,after winning presidentialelections last October withmore than a two-thirds major-ity against the main opposi-tion leader, Afonso Dhlakamaof Renamo, and DavizSimango of the MozambiqueDemocratic Movement.

He becomes the fourthpresident of Mozambiquesince the country gained inde-

Filipe Nyusi sworn in as President of Mozambique

“Mozambican people my only and exclusive boss”


SADC HAS hailed the recentpresidential by-elections heldin Zambia, saying they con-formed to regional and interna-tional guidelines governing theconduct of democratic polls.

Head of the SADC ElectionObserver Mission (SEOM),Maite Nkoana-Mashabane,said that despite some isolatedincidents, there was generaladherence to the relevant na-tional legal instruments aswell as the SADC Principlesand Guidelines GoverningDemocratic Elections.

“Based on its observations,the SADC Electoral Observa-tion Mission concludes that the

SADC hails conduct of Zambianelections

election, adding that any chal-lenges to the election resultsshould be done in accordancewith the laws of the country.

“Zambia is known to be apeaceful country and we ap-peal to all political parties tobehave in a manner that pro-motes peace, security and sta-bility of the country and hercitizens.”

Other observer missions,including the Common Mar-ket for Eastern and SouthernAfrica (COMESA) and theAfrican Union, also hailed theconduct of the elections. r

2015 Presidential Election inZambia was peaceful, transpar-ent, credible, free, and fair, thusreflecting the will of the peopleof Zambia in accordance withthe national laws and the SADCPrinciples and Guidelines Gov-erning Democratic Elections,”said Nkoana-Mashabane, whois South African Minister for In-ternational Relations and Coop-eration.

The SEOM, which de-ployed 67 observers, urged allcandidates, political partiesand other stakeholders to re-spect the will of the people anduphold the laws of Zambia byaccepting the outcome of the

NEWLY ELECTED ZambianPresident Edgar Lungu hassaid one of his main prioritiesis addressing unemploymentand service delivery.

“Our main task in the nextfew months will be to stabilizeour economy and work to-wards completing what westarted,” Lungu said at his in-auguration ceremony wit-nessed by several leadersincluding the SADC chairper-son President Robert Mugabeof Zimbabwe.

“We want to employ morepeople, reduce further the fuelprices, ensure farmers are sup-ported with what they need tohave a bountiful harvest thisseason; allow universities tooffer highest standard of educa-tion; ensure hospitals beingbuilt are completed, completestructural development pro-grammes, strategize on servic-ing our debts, create more jobsand weather for the people,manage our resources more re-

sponsibly and empower moreyoung people to participate inour economy.”

Lungu is Zambia’s sixthpresident since independencefrom colonial rule on 24 Octo-ber 1964. He extended an invi-tation to his opponents to setaside their political differencesand actively participate in theprocess of nation-building aftera bruising election campaign.

“I have learned a lot ofthings during this campaign

and I will be seeking audiencewith some of my progressivecounterparts in the opposi-tion,” he said, adding that thesame olive branch will be ex-tended to disgruntled mem-bers of his ruling PatrioticFront (PF).

Following the death of Pres-ident Michael Sata in October2014, PF members disagreedover who should be the party’spreferred candidate for thepresidential elections.

“I am extending a hand ofpeace to all party members ofthe PF who did not join us inthis vision,” he said. However,he said that those who wantedto leave the party may do so“and leave us who want towork.”

With regard to the new con-stitution, he said it will beready in time for the next gen-eral elections. “My govern-ment will give you theconstitution you want beforethe next general elections in2016,” he said.

Lungu won the presidentialby-election after getting807,925 votes against 780,168for his closest rival HakaindeHichilema of the main opposi-tion United Party for NationalDevelopment.

Edith Nawakwi of theForum for Democracy and De-velopment was in third placewith 15,321 votes, followed byNevers Mumba of the Move-ment for Multi-party Democ-racy with 14,609 votes.

Tilyenji Kaunda of theUnited National IndependenceParty, and son of Zambia’s firstpresident Kenneth Kaunda got9,737 votes, Eric Chanda of theFourth Revolution Party (8,054votes), National RestorationParty candidate Elias Chipimo(6,002 votes), and GodfreyMiyanda of Heritage Party(5,757 votes).

Christian Democratic Partyleader Dan Pule garnered3,293 votes, followed by Lud-wig Sondashi (2,073 votes) andPeter Sinkamba of Green Party(1,410 votes).

A total of 5,166,088 peoplewere registered to vote in thelandmark election, accordingto the ECZ. However, the totalvotes cast were 1,671,662, rep-resenting a voter turnout of32.36 percent. r

Priority to stabilize the economy

Edgar Lungu wins Zambian presidential by-election

L E A D E R S H I P


SOUTHERN AFRICA willthis year host a continentalmilitary exercise, which is ex-pected to pave the way for theoperationalization of theAfrican Standby Force.

AMANI AFRICA II isscheduled for April in a

SADC country, althoughthe host nation is yet tobe named. Lesotho wasexpected to host the event,before postponement lastyear.

The name of the exercisemeans “peace in Africa,” in

Kiswahili, a language widelyspoken in several Africancountries.

This exercise is organizedby the African Union (AU)Commission to validate its ca-pacity to mandate and em-ploy a Rapid DeploymentCapability of the AfricanStandby Force (ASF) as a start-up operation, and to run a fullmultidimensional peace sup-port operation.

The AU aims to launch theASF in 2015. When opera-tional, the ASF will consist ofstandby arrangements withinAfrica’s five sub-regions,composed of multidimen-sional capabilities, includingmilitary, police and civilian,on standby in their countriesof origin and ready for rapiddeployment.

AMANI AFRICA II is criti-cal in evaluating the readinessof the ASF to respond swiftlyto ensuing conflicts unham-pered by any heavy politicaland instrumental burdens.

A training session forAMANI AFRICA II was heldin Harare, Zimbabwe in No-vember 2014 and comman-dant of the SADC RegionalPeacekeeping Training Centre(RPTC), Christopher Chellah,said SADC was ready to hostthe event.

“We are greatly humbled tohave been accorded the greathonour to host this exercise,on behalf of our continent, andalso to host two pre-exercisecourses at our regional centreof excellence,” he said.

“This for us goes to showthe immense trust that theAU holds for our region. Forthis, we are sincerely gratefuland pledge to do the verybest in our strength to ensurethat both courses that wehost, and indeed the final ex-ercise itself are a great suc-cess.”

The first continental exer-cise of this kind was con-ducted in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia in October 2010 withthe aim of evaluating the op-erational readiness of the ASF.

The exercise, AMANIAFRICA I, provided the high-light to a two-year trainingand capacity building cycledesigned to evaluate the effec-tiveness of the AU Commis-sion, through its PeaceSupport Operations Division,to employ the ASF for an AU-mandated peace support op-eration.

The AMANI AFRICA cycleis a collaborative effort be-tween the AU and the Euro-pean Union as part of theimplementation of an ongoingstrategic partnership betweenthe two organisations. r

SADC WILL continue to mon-itor the situation in the easternDemocratic Republic of Congoto ensure that total peace andstability returns to the country.

Eastern DRC is still experi-encing instability as some rebelgroups, notably the Forces forDemocratic Liberation ofRwanda (FDLR), are yet to dis-arm despite an agreementreached last year for total dis-armament.

More than 3,000 FDLR arereported to be in DRC, andonly 300, mainly old and non-essential combatants, hadsurrendered by December2014.The deadline of 2 January2015 set by SADC and the In-ternational Conference on theGreat Lakes Region (ICGLR)for total disarmament has nowelapsed.

South African PresidentJacob Zuma, who is chairper-son of the SADC Troika of theOrgan on Politics, Defence and

Security Cooperation, said theregion may now be forced totake military action to addressthe situation.

“The South African Gov-ernment has taken note of theUnited Nations SecurityCouncil Presidential State-ment (S/PRST/2015/1) of 8January 2015 concerning thedisarmament of the FDLR,” hesaid in a statement.

“South Africa reiterates thatthe FDLR has failed to complywith the 2 January 2015 dead-line set by the Heads of Stateand Government of SouthernAfrican Development Commu-nity (SADC) and the Interna-tional Conference on the GreatLakes Region for the FDLR todisarm voluntarily or face mil-itary action, and has thereforerendered military option in-evitable.”

The ICGLR is an inter-gov-ernmental organization of thecountries in the African Great

Lakes region, comprising of 12member states. Four of thesecountries – Angola, DRC,United Republic of Tanzaniaand Zambia – are also part ofSADC

President Zuma said SouthAfrica will continue, individu-ally and as part of the conti-nent and the internationalcommunity, to work for last-ing peace in the DRC and theentire Great Lakes region.

Neighbouring Rwanda andUganda are allegedly fightingalongside the rebels in easternDRC, as noted previously bySADC, and there is growinginternational pressure for theneighbouring countries toback off.

SADC regards peace as aprerequisite for developmentas there can be no peace with-out development. As a result,the region is actively engagedin restoring the situation inDRC. r

SADC prepares to host AMANI II

P E A C E A N D S E C U R I T Y

SADC continues to monitor situation in eastern DRC


E N E R G Y

Musaba said the only vi-able option for Tanzania is anew transmission line com-monly known as Zambia-Kenya-Tanzania.

The proposed line will linkTanzania to the SAPP grid, andalso connect the Eastern AfricanPower Pool (EAPP) to SAPP, al-lowing countries in East Africato share surplus electricitywith those in southern Africa.

According to SAPP, con-struction of the interconnectorsis expected to commence soon.

THE SOUTHERN AfricanPower Pool (SAPP) has se-cured a US$20 million grantfrom the Programme for Ac-celerating TransformationalEnergy Projects in Africa.

The programme, sup-ported by World Bank, plansto identify priority generationand associated transmissioninvestments that can provideadequate electricity supply inthe region in an efficient andsustainable manner and sup-port integration and powertrade in the region.

SAPP intends to apply partof the proceeds for the prepa-ration of a new regional gen-eration and transmission

expansion plan covering theperiod up to 2040.

The power pool is cur-rently in the market searchingfor a consultant to prepare anenvironmental and socialmanagement framework forthe programme.

The World Bank said thefunds, which were approvedin November last year, willsupport preparation of tech-nical, economic and financialfeasibility studies, environ-mental assessments, legaldocumentation and financialtransaction advisory workbut would not finance any in-frastructure or physical activ-ities. r

In fact, Zambia,Kenya and Tanzaniasigned an agreement inDecember 2014 underwhich they committed tostart their interconnectorproject in December 2015and ensure that it is com-pleted by December2018.

Musaba said the var-ious countries hadshown commitment tomake sure all plannedprojects are successful,adding that “we arehoping that everybody

remains committed and is co-ordinating.”

Once completed, the newinterconnectors are expected topromote regional electricitytrade, enhance security of elec-tricity supply as well as fosterregional trade.

Furthermore, the intercon-nectors will decongest existingtransmission corridors, andprovide another wheeling paththat will fully integrate allmainland SADC countries tothe regional power grid. r

plans are now under-way to connect the threecountries to the regionalpower grid to enable allmainland SADC Mem-ber States to benefitfrom any new genera-tion capacity installed inthese countries.

“In the case of An-gola, we are looking atthe Angola-Namibiainterconnector which isan interconnector thatis specifically to inter-connect Angola to theSAPP grid,” he said,adding that another option isto construct the Angola-DRCinterconnector.

The Angola-Namibiainterconnector involves theconstruction of power trans-mission lines from the pro-posed Baynes hydropowerplant in Lower Kunene,Namibia to link to the nationalpower grid of Angola.

The Angola-DRC intercon-nector is part of the Inga-Cabinda-Pointe Noireinterconnector, linking thepower system of DRC to An-gola. The project involves theconstruction of a section in An-gola from the DRC border toCabinda.

With regard to Malawi,SAPP is considering two op-tions – a transmission line link-ing Malawi to Zambia or a lineconnecting Mozambique toMalawi.

Construction of theMalawi-Zambia interconnec-tor will involve construction ofa transmission line from Pen-sulo in Zambia to Lilongwe inMalawi.

The Mozambique-Malawiinterconnector will entail theconstruction of a power linefrom Matambo substation inMozambique to Phombeya,north of Malawi’s commercialcapital, Blantyre.

by Kizito Sikuka

SOUTHERN AFRICA is en-gaged in a number of projects toensure that all countries areconnected to the regional powergrid that allows Member Statesto share surplus electricity.

Power utilities in mainlandSADC, with the exception ofAngola, Malawi and the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania, are fullyintegrated to the power gridthrough the Southern AfricanPower Pool (SAPP).

SAPP is a regional bodythat coordinates the planning,generation, transmission andmarketing of electricity insouthern Africa on behalf ofmember state utilities.

Non-participation of An-gola, Malawi and Tanzania inthe regional power grid meansthat any new generation capac-ity installed in any of the threecountries is not enjoyed by thenine other SAPP members,namely Botswana, the Demo-cratic Republic of Congo,Lesotho, Mozambique,Namibia, Swaziland, SouthAfrica, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In the same light, surpluspower in the nine inter-con-nected countries cannot be ex-ported to the three non-participation member states.

This situation has createdchallenges for most countries,particularly when they shutdown some of their power gen-eration plants for rehabilitationand cannot import power fromneighbouring countries to meettheir own local demand.

As a result, the utilities areforced to loadshed, affectingsocio-economic activities sinceaccess to adequate power sup-ply is a critical factor for devel-opment.

SAPP Coordination CentreManager, Dr. Lawrence Musabasaid in an interview to docu-ment SADC Success Stories that

SAPP secures World Bank funding

SADC aims for an integrated energy system

He called on the AU Members States to implement all the de-cisions adopted during the summit “as that is the only way forAfrican states to leverage their resources for the benefits of theirpeople,” and he urged Member States to contribute fully, fol-lowing the decision on alternative sources of financing for theAU activities. “During my tenure as chair, I will deliberately pro-voke your thoughts to pay special attention to issues of infrastruc-ture, value addition and beneficiation, agriculture and climatechange in the context of Africa’s development.” The Summit

adopted decisions aimed at deepening con-tinental integration and promoting socio-economic development. r

THE AFRICAN Union has agreed to put inplace measures to ensure financial inde-pendence and self-sufficiency. A ministerial

working group has proposed a non-exhaustive and non-bindingbasket of options at national, regional and continental levels suchas levying taxes on plane tickets, hotels and text messages; and de-vising an accountability mechanism to ensure “sound, effectiveand efficient financial management.”

This is expected to raise about US$600 million a year, and overfive years the AU would then be able to pay100 percent of its costsusing its own funds. “It is important that we do what we want todo and not what other governments pay us money to do,” the AUCommission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said in rec-ommending action in this regard. All Member States who have notpaid their contribution were urged to do so.

Summit agreed to determine an appropriate scale of assessmentfor contribution so that the AU can take charge of its budget in linewith the following principles. Member States to fund:a) Operational budget at 100%;b) Programme budget at 75%;c) Peace support operations budget at 25%. r

African leaders speakon the Ebola outbreak...THE AFRICAN Union has ac-knowledged the role of Africanvolunteers in the fight againstEbola, recommended the exten-sion of the mandate of the AUSupport to the Ebola Outbreakin West Africa, and requestedinternational financial institu-tions and partners to cancel thedebt of the three affected coun-tries (Guinea, Liberia and SierraLeone). African leaders urgedthe AU Commission to mobi-lize funds for the establishmentof the African Centre for Dis-ease Control and Prevention(African CDC) by mid-2015. r

THE 24TH Session of the Assembly of the African Union Sum-mit held on 30-31 January in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, concludedwith closing remarks from the newly elected AU Chairperson,H.E. Robert Mugabe, who is President of the Republic of Zim-babwe and current Chairperson of the Southern African Devel-opment Community (SADC). The AU Chairperson expressedsatisfaction on the adoption of the AU framework for Agenda2063, saying “we have rededicated ourselves to the Pan-Africanideals of our founding fathers for the Africa we want”.

A VOTE of confidence forSADC marked the AU Summitwhen President Robert Mugabeof Zimbabwe, was electedchairperson of the continentalbody, and he will be deputizedby President Joseph Kabila ofDemocratic Republic of Congo(DRC) as the first vice chair.

Presidents Mahamadou Is-soufou of Niger and UhuruKenyatta of Kenya are secondand third vice chairs.

In his inaugural address,Mugabe called for deeper coop-eration among member states.

“We call for renewed bound-less zeal, commitment and ded-ication, in implementingprogrammes and projects thatwe have set for ourselves in thevarious political, social, eco-nomic and security sectors.”

He recalled that, “More thanfive decades ago, I had theunique privilege, as a represen-tative of ZANU, a liberationmovement then, to attend thehistoric occasion of the found-ing of the Organisation ofAfrica Unity in 1963, here inAddis Ababa. It was indeed a

momentous occasion at whichAfrica decisively took destinyinto its own hands.

“I still recall, quite vividly, thepalpable, collective resolve,dedication and commitment ofour forebears, to unite and freeout continent from the twinscourges of colonialism andpoverty. Our freedom andsoci-economic progress, wehave thus far attained, areample testimonies of the cor-rectness of our forebears’ vi-sion. Africa has come a longway since then…” r

African Union AGENDA 2063OUR ASPIRATIONS FOR THE AFRICA WE WANT

1. A prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development2. An integrated continent, politically united and based on the ideals of Pan-Africanism and the

vision of Africa’s Renaissance3. An Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law4. A peaceful and secure Africa5. An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values and ethics6. An Africa where development is people-driven, unleashing the potential of its women and youth7. Africa as a strong, united and influential global player and partner.

AU needs to be self-sufficient,seeks alternative sources offinancing

“Resources lost must be returned”Special Declaration on Illicit Financial Flows

SADC candidate elected AU chairPresident Mugabe to lead African Union

AFRICAN HEADS of State and Government have expressed concernwith the “increasing scale and extent of illicit financial flows fromAfrica, particularly from our extractive industries and natural re-sources”, saying this constitutes a “huge hindrance to sustainable so-cial and economic development.” The African Union estimates thatthe continent has lost “up to US$1.8 trillion between 1970 and 2008and continues to lose extensive finances estimated up to US$150 bil-lion annually” through illicit capital flight, mainly through tax evasionand mispricing of trade and services by multi-national companies,saying this is caused by weak institutions, especially for tax admin-istration and monitoring, as well as corruption in government agen-cies, and political instability and conflicts. Summit declared itscommitment to end the chronic illicit financial flows, and resolvedto ensure that all financial resources lost through illicit capital flightand illicit financial flows are identified and returned to Africa. r8 SOUTHERN AFRICA

A F R I C A N U N I O N

Towards African unity, prosperity, stabilityYear of “Women Empowerment and Development towards

I N D U S T R I A L

THE PEACE and Security Coun-cil reported to the 24th session ofthe AU Assembly that the politi-cal situation in Africa is improv-ing, in general, however theinstability in some areas is de-railing development. “The As-sembly welcomed the progressthat continues to be made interms of peace-building and

post-conflict reconstruction,” aconcluding statement said,adding that “Africa continues toface serious challenges in thefield of peace and security,which undermine socio-eco-nomic development efforts,cause catastrophic humanitarianconsequences and contribute toproject a negative image.”

The leaders noted the wors-ening of terrorism and violentextremism in some parts ofAfrica, as demonstrated by at-tacks perpetrated by differentterrorist groups, including AlShabaab, the Lord's ResistantArmy, Boko Haram, Al-Qaida inthe Islamic Maghreb, and theAnsar al-Sharia groups.” In this

regard, the Summitcalled on “all Mem-ber States to renderevery possible assis-tance towards de-feating” terroristgroups. r

Africa aims forcontinent-wide freetrade area

Mwalimu Nyerere chairedthe Front Line States that sup-ported the liberation movementsin southern Africa and his coun-try contributed significantlythrough accommodating libera-tion fighters and providing themwith logistical as well as militarysupport and training.

In a speech to the LegislativeCouncil in 1959, before his owncountry attained independence,Nyerere dedicated his peopleand country to the liberation ofthe continent.

“We, the people of Tan-ganyika, would like to light a can-dle and put it on top of MountKilimanjaro which would shinebeyond our borders giving hopewhere there was despair, lovewhere there was hate, and dignitywhere before there was only hu-miliation.”

He is regarded as the father ofAfrican liberation, “he carried thetorch that liberated Africa.” r

South Africa to host nextAU SummitSOUTH AFRICA will host thenext AU Summit in mid-2015after last holding the event in2002 when the Organization ofAfrican Unity was transformed tothe African Union. The summit isheld twice a year, with the first atthe AU headquarters in Ethiopiawhile the second is hosted by an-other member state.r

Pan African UniversityTHE 24TH ordinary session ofthe Assembly of the AfricanUnion has appointed the Presi-dent and Vice President of Coun-cil for the Pan African University(PAU) for a three-year term, andboth of these top academic offi-cials are drawn from SADCMember States – Professor TollyS. Mbwette from the United Re-public of Tanzania and ProfessorPaulo Horácio de Sequeira e Car-valho of Angola, respectively. TheAssembly designated the Repub-lic of Cameroon as host country ofthe PAU rectorate. r

AFRICAN LEADERS have reaf-firmed their commitment tolaunch a Continental Free TradeArea (CFTA) by 2017 to promotethe smooth movement of goods,services and people across thecontinent.

At the 24th Assembly of theAfrican Union, the leadersagreed to begin negotiations forthe CTFA in June this year, andmandated the chair of the High-level African Trade Committeeand the AU Commission chair-person to engage in high-levelconsultations.

The CFTA is expected toevolve from the existing free tradeareas in sub-regional economicblocs, creating a combined mar-ket of more than 50 African coun-tries, with a population in excessof one billion people and a com-bined Gross Domestic Product ofmore than US$3.4 trillion.

AU Member States also re-committed themselves to imple-mentation of the YamoussoukroDecision Towards the Establish-ment of a Single African AirTransport Market by 2017. r

A F R I C A N U N I O N

Africa honours Mwalimu Julius Nyerere

Africa unitedon climatechange andsanitation andwater goals

Peace and SecurityThe state of peace and security in Africa

AFRICA WILL honour JuliusKambarage Nyerere, the latePresident of the United Republicof Tanzania, by giving his nameto the new Peace and SecurityBuilding at AU headquarters inAddis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Tanzania hosted the LiberationCommittee for the continental or-ganization from its inception in1963 until its mission was accom-plished in 1994 with the inde-pendence of African countriesfrom colonial rule and the end ofapartheid in South Africa.

The AU Assembly decided to delegate its authority under Article 4 (h) of the Consti-tutive Act to the Peace and Security Council (PSC) to authorize the deployment in arapid manner, with the following provisions:

“The Peace and Security Council of the African Union shall immediately reportsuch deployment within 90 days or to the next meeting of the Assembly for rectifica-tion; and

“Member States which are Volunteering Nations (VNs) or contributing resourcesto an Intervention Force shall be represented and participate in the deliberations of thePeace and Security Council on a possible ACIRC/ASF-RDC intervention mission.” r

On the deployment of the African capacity forimmediate response to crises and the African standbyforce rapid deployment capability

AFRICAN LEADERS havetasked the AU Commission to re-port regularly to Summit on theimplementation of programmesand projects on climate change.Summit also decided to fast-trackthe implementation of commit-ments for the achievement ofwater and sanitation goals, andrequested the AU Commission tocoordinate implementation of theAction Plan.


s Agenda 2063”

D I S A S T E R R I S K

Madagascar requires funds to avoid resurgence oflocust plague


THE GENERAL rainfall pat-tern in southern Africa is ex-pected to remain stable untilApril, providing optimal con-ditions for the region to regis-ter a good agricultural season,however the disaster risk re-mains high.

According to a recent rain-fall outlook report released bythe SADC Climate ServicesCentre for the period Februaryto April 2015, the bulk ofsouthern Africa is expected toreceive normal to above-nor-mal rainfall while south-west-ern parts of the region areforecast to experience normalto below-normal rainfall con-ditions.(See map)

Above-normal rainfall is de-fined as lying within thewettest third of averagerecorded rainfall amounts dur-ing the 30-year period between1971 and 2000, while below-normal lies within the driestthird of rainfall amounts, andnormal is the middle third.

Areas that have increasedchances to receive normal toabove-normal rainfall are thebulk of Angola, Madagascar,United Republic of Tanzania,Mozambique, Malawi, Zam-bia and the Democratic Re-public of Congo.

Others areas are Mauritius,Zimbabwe, Seychel les ,Lesotho, Swaziland, easternBotswana, and northern andeastern parts of South Africa.

Increased chances of nor-mal to below-normal rainfall

MADAGASCAR REQUIRESan additional US$10 million toadequately deal with locuststhat are threatening food secu-rity in the island nation.

At least US$28.8 million hasso far been mobilized by Mala-gasy government in partner-ship with the Food andAgricultural Organization ofthe United Nations to deal withthe plague.

However, an additionalUS$10.6 million is needed tocomplete the fight against thelocusts, including monitoringand spraying operations untilthe end of the rainy season inMay.

Madagascar declared a na-tional emergency in 2013 as lo-custs threatened the foodsecurity of nearly 60 percent ofits 22 million people.

FAO reported at the timethat about half the countrywas as of April infested byswarms of grasshoppers, eachmade up of millions of plant-devouring insects.

Rice is the main staple inMadagascar.

The locust plague was suc-cessfully halted last year butthe risks of relapse are highduring the rainy season, whichprovides ideal breeding condi-tions for the pests.

“Taking action now is criti-cal to ensure the significant ef-forts made so far, financially

and technically, are built uponrather than lost," FAO's direc-tor for emergency and rehabil-itation Dominique Burgeonsaid.

“The current campaignis essential to reinforce thedecline of the current plague,avoiding any relapse,and then continue towardsa full-fledged locust recession.”

Biologically, even a shorttwo-month interruption inmonitoring and spraying oper-ations could significantly erasemuch of the progress made sofar. r

will be confined to the westernfringes of Namibia and SouthAfrica.

Since climate conditionsconstantly change, the SADCClimate Services Centre urgedusers to contact their nationalmeteorological offices for latestinterpretation of the outlook,and finer details, updates andadditional guidance.

Excessive rainfall duringthe period November 2014 toFebruary 2015 caused floodsin some parts of the region.

“The southern Africa sum-mer monsoon brought signifi-cant wet conditions withseveral areas in Zimbabwe,Zambia, Malawi, Mozambiqueand Madagascar experiencingpersistent and flood-inducingrains,” the SADC Climate Serv-ices Centre said in a statement.

“This led to extensive flood-ing, with thousands of dis-placed populations, damage to

crops, livestock, infrastructure,and fatalities, during December2014 and early January 2015.”

The floods have killedmore than 200 people inMalawi while at least 500,000others were displaced, accord-ing to media reports from thatcountry.

More than 100 people havedied during similar floodingin neighbouring Mozambique.

The climate centre said onthree-monthly averages, mostcountries in the region experi-enced normal rainfall condi-tions.

However, western parts ofthe DRC and Angola, northernNamibia and some parts ofSouth Africa received below-normal rainfall conditions.The below-normal conditionspersisted since the beginningof the season.

Furthermore, two tropicalcyclones developed over west-

ern Indian Ocean, inducingheavy rains in the vicinity, es-pecially in Madagascar andMauritius.

The active tropical cycloneseason over the central In-dian Ocean has also divertedmoisture away from mostlysouth-western parts of re-gion.

On the El Niño SouthernOscillation, the centre saidoverall atmospheric circula-tion continued to show onlylimited coupling with theanomalously warm water.

The Southern OscillationIndex (SOI) remained slightlynegative, but the EquatorialSOI was near zero. SOI givesan indication of the develop-ment and intensity of El Niñoor La Niña events in the Pa-cific Ocean, which are usuallyassociated with drought andflood conditions in southernAfrica, respectively. r

Good rainfall conditions to persist until end of season

by Admire Ndhlovu

RECENT FLOODS that af-fected parts of southern Africahave once again put the re-gional disaster managementstrategies to the test.

Each time floods occur inthe region, there is loss of life,and destruction of propertyand infrastructure such ashouses, schools, roads and rail.

Floods have increased healthhazards as water sources arecontaminated and water-bornediseases such as diarrhoea andmalaria spread easily.

Tens of thousands of peoplein Malawi, Mozambique, Zim-babwe and Madagascar havebeen severely affected by floodscaused by Tropical StormChedza, which started in De-cember and is expected to con-tinue through out February.

Malawi has been hardest hitby the current floods. Morethan 200 people have died and500,000 more displaced, ac-cording to media reports fromthat country.

Extensive damage to crops,livestock and infrastructurehas occurred in the southerndistricts of Nsanje, Chikwawa,Phalombe and Zomba.

As a response measure,President Peter Mutharika de-clared a state of disaster in 15districts.

"I am deeply concernedwith the situation at hand,houses have collapsed, otherpeople have lost their lives dueto these floods that have af-fected fifteen districts in ourcountry, a situation that has

never happened before in thehistory of our country," he saidafter visiting affected people inthe Lake Malawi district ofMangochi.

The Malawian governmenthas urged people living inflood-prone areas to urgentlyrelocate to upland areas toavoid more loss of life. SouthAfrican military helicopterswere assisting in the rescueand relocation of people in af-fected areas.

Mozambique is facing sim-ilar challenges.

“The floods have killed 117people, an increase from thelast balance of at least 84 deada week ago,” the Mozambicandeputy health minister, Mouz-inho Saide, said.

The majority of the deathsoccurred in the central coastalregion of Zambezia, he said. More than 150,000 people havebeen affected.

In the Licungo basin,bridges were destroyed andthe transmission line carryingpower from the Cahora BassaDam to the northern provincesof Nampula, Niassa and CaboDelgado were destroyed.

As for agriculture, 27,838households have suffered croplosses over an area of 33,648hectares.

The Council of Ministers inMozambique declared an insti-tutional red alert on 12 Januaryfor the central and northernparts of the country afterheavy rains resulted in severeflooding.

Zimbabwe also experiencedflooding, with the worst af-

fected provinces includingManicaland, MashonalandCentral, Mashonaland East,Mashonaland West and Mid-lands.

According to preliminary as-sessments, approximately 6,000people were affected, of which2,500 people are in urgent needof assistance. The flood-affectedpopulation moved to higherground, with some seekingrefuge in schools.

The Zambezi WatercourseCommission (ZAMCOM) Sec-retariat is closely monitoringthe flood situation in Malawiand Mozambique using aerialsurveillance to offer earlywarning information to thesecountries.

“This is being done throughthe use of the Water Observa-tion and Information System(WOIS) where free radar satel-lite images from the Coperni-cus Sentinel-1 mission arebeing converted into mapsshowing the development andcurrent extent of the floods,”ZAMCOM said in a statement.

“The information gatheredis important to better assessthe flood situation in Malawiand the development of an op-erational flood forecasting toolfor ZAMCOM. With this sys-tem, ZAMCOM will be able todemonstrate the extent offloods and water levelsthrough state-of-the-art mod-eling tools.”

The increasing intensity andfrequency of floods in SADC islinked to climate change.

According to the 5th Inter-governmental Panel on Cli-

D I S A S T E R R I S K


mate Change report releasedin March 2014, land surfacetemperatures across the Zam-bezi basin and the rest ofsouthern Africa increased by0.5°C or more during the last50 to 100 years, while globalsea level rose by 19 centimetresbetween 1901 and 2010. Suchweather conditions are idealfor tropical storms.

Although Africa con-tributes relatively little toglobal warming, the region issuffering from its effects.

With increasing impacts ofclimate change, there is needto deepen response efforts atnational and regional level.

Mozambique, for example,has put in place a vibrant re-sponse mechanism since thedevastating floods of 2000 thatclaimed about 700 lives.

The government, throughthe National Institute for Dis-aster Management, set asidean estimated US$275 milliontowards disaster risk reduc-tion, including risks of flood-ing.

At regional level, the SADCSecretariat and the United Na-tions signed a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU) in2014 to establish a frameworkfor cooperation to strengthenregional disaster responsemechanisms in southernAfrica.

The MoU seeks to improvethe capabilities of SADC andMember States in disaster riskmanagement, as well as advo-cate for the rights of poor peo-ple affected by social conflictsand natural disasters. r

Widespread flooding put SADC preparedness to the testMutharika: never happened before on this scale in the history of our country


The Lima Accord states thatall countries will be asked tosubmit plans for curbinggreenhouse gas emissions,known as “Intended Nation-ally Determined Contribu-tions (INDC),” to the UN byan informal deadline of 31March 2015.

The accord, however, didnot provide a structure, as-sessment needs or informationrequirements for reportingINDCs.

What it means for Africa isthat there is no guarantee thatINDCs from developed coun-tries,which are responsible forthe past and present majoremissions, would be sufficientto keep temperature risebelow 2˚C.

In the 1992 climate changeagreement only developed na-tions were obliged to reduceemissions according to theprinciple of common but dif-ferentiated responsibilitiesand respective capabilities.

While INDCs are good,they are likely to open a possi-bility for every country to de-cide its own climate action infuture, with no reference towhat science, people and jus-tice demand, and without aclear regulatory framework.

This provides for voluntarycommitments as opposed tolegally binding commitmentsas was the case with the KyotoProtocol.

More so, INDCs will likelyweaken moral and legal obli-gations by developed coun-tries to transfer finance andtechnology.

The INDCs open an avenuefor further expansion of the

by Egline Tauya

THE ON-GOING global cli-mate negotiations have shownlittle urgency, despite increas-ing evidence that the windowto reverse climate change isclosing,

Although the 20th Confer-ence of the Parties (COP20) tothe United Nations Frame-work Convention on ClimateChange (UNFCCC) held inLima, Peru in December 2014ended with a deal that formsthe basis for a global agree-ment on addressing climatechange, the question iswhether that deal will preventcatastrophic climate changefor most developing countrieswhich are already experienc-ing the impacts with little ca-pacity to cope.

According to the 5th Inter-governmental Panel on Cli-mate, Change (IPCC) report,land surface temperaturesacross southern Africa have,for example, increased by0.5˚C or more during the last50-100 years, while the globalsea level rose by 19 cm be-tween 1901 and 2010.

The changes in tempera-ture, rainfall and rise in sealevel haveincreased incidenceof malaria in some parts ofsouthern Africa and driven ashift in farming practices.

Most developing countriesare concerned that the dealreached in Peru, dubbed the“Lima Accord”, lacks specificactions to address pre-2020emissions necessary to limitwarming to below 2˚C, thelevel considered by scientistsas safe.

failed experiment on carbonmarkets, including possiblycarbon credits from forests andsoil, which undermine landrights for communities andwould be devastating to farm-ers and forest communities insouthern Africa whilst prevent-ing the transformation needed.

While developed countriespressed for INDCs to be onmitigation only, developingcountries contended thatINDCs should include adapta-tion, financial, technologytransfer and capacity buildingsupport from rich nations whocaused the problem.

Developed countries failedto provide guarantees for spe-cific and predictable financialsupport. Instead,they called oncountries in “a position to doso” to offer support. Otherwise,vulnerable countries shouldmake do with donor aid.

The Lima conference reiter-ated the demand for developednations to mobilise US$100 bil-lion in climate change aid fordeveloping nations by 2020.However southern Africa andthe rest of the continent wanteddeveloped nations to set a cleartimetable for scaling up fundsyear-by-year.

The text in the Lima Accordmerely “requested” that de-veloped nations “enhance theavailable quantitative andqualitative elements of a path-way” towards 2020.

This does not provide aclear roadmap for immediateaction by developed countries,nor was there a commitmentto urgently revisit, revise, orreview commitments previ-ously made.

Little progress on climate change negotiations

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

Another let down for Africawas on the issue of loss anddamage from climate changeimpacts. Since negotiations inWarsaw in 2013, Africa has re-quested to specifically includeloss and damage from climatechange impacts that cannot beaddressed by adaptation as astand-alone item.

Developed countries, how-ever, prefer to include loss anddamage under adaptation.

They fear that allowing ne-gotiations on loss and damagewould lead to them beinglegally required to pay com-pensation to developing coun-tries for their past greenhousegas emissions.

The Lima Accord includesconflicting statements such as“Provision for loss and dam-age for cases where mitigationand adaptation will not be suf-ficient” as one of the optionsand “no reference to loss anddamage” as the other optionto be considered in the finalagreement.

With such conflicting textin the Lima outcome, what isclear is that prospects for anew agreement are unlikely tofavour Africa, and developedcountries will eventually suc-ceed in neglecting historicalresponsibility in the finalagreement expected to beadopted in December 2015. r

T R A D E

INTRA-REGIONAL trade ineastern and southern Africa ison a steady increase and hasgrown threefold over the 10-year period spanning 2004 to2014.

Chairperson of theCOMESA-EAC-SADC Tripar-tite Taskforce, Sindiso Ng-wenya said this in hispresentation to the 24thAfrican Union Summit on theprogress towards the launch of

the Tripartite Free Trade Area(FTA).

Common Market for Easternand Southern Afr ica(COMESA)-East African Com-munity (EAC)-SADC are target-ing the establishment of thelargest integrated market inAfrica, covering 26 countries ineastern and southern Africa by2016.

This integrated arrange-ment will create a combined

population of some625 million peoplecovering half of themember states ofthe AU and a GrossDomestic Productof about US$1.2 trillion.

Ngwenya, who is also thesecretary general of theCOMESA, said growth in east-ern and southern Africa hastaken place on the basis of theindividual FTAs of the three Re-

For example, SIRESS en-ables participating countriesto make money clearanceacross borders on the sameday, and at a lower cost. Pre-viously, money clearancewith paper-based systemstook between seven and 21working days.

“We started with fourcountries Lesotho, Namibia,South Africa and Swaziland,”the SADC senior programme

officer for investment,Thembi Langa said, addingthat five more have sincejoined SIRESS – Malawi,Mauritius, the United Repub-lic of Tanzania, Zambia andZimbabwe.

The Democratic Republicof Congo is expected to joinsoon, while all the SADCMember States should be par-ticipating in the system by2016. r

A TOTAL of nine countries arenow participating in a regionalelectronic settlement system es-tablished by SADC about twoyears ago, up from only four atthe launch in July 2013.

The SADC Integrated Re-gional Electronic SettlementSystem (SIRESS) aims to facili-tate electronic transfers in theregion by replacing the paper-based instruments such as bankdrafts and cheques.

SADC HAS established a sup-port unit to facilitate imple-mentation of the SADC TradeRelated Facility, which becameoperational in January.

The unit falls under the Di-rectorate for Trade, Industry,Finance and Investment.

The Trade Related Facility(TRF) aims to strengthen im-plementation of the SADCTrade Protocol and theEuropean Union-SADC Eco-nomic Partnership Agree-ment (EPA) to increaseintra-regional trade flowsamong the concerned SADCMember States.

The SADC EPA Group com-prises Botswana, Lesotho,Mozambique, Namibia, SouthAfrica and Swaziland.

The other SADC membersare negotiating the EPAs aspart of other regional groups


Intra-regional trade on the increase

More countries join the regional electronicsettlement system

SADC trade facility now operational such as Central Africa or East-ern and Southern Africa.

The TRF Facility SupportUnit was established through acontribution agreement be-tween the EU and SADC andwill, among other things,pro-vide technical support to coun-tries in implementing theircommitments made under theSADC Protocol on Trade andunder the EPA with the EU.

The TRF, which is a €32million project is fundedunder the 10th European De-velopment Fund, consists oftwo financing windows:• A SADC Trade Protocol

window to ensure higherlevels of compliance andimplementation of commit-ments made by SADCcountries under the Proto-col on Trade; and

• An EPA window that facil-

itates effective implementa-tion and monitoring of theSADC-EU EPA, with aview to strengthening itspotential benefits, particu-larly in terms of improvedmarket access.Areas of intervention in-

clude customs cooperation andtrade facilitation, addressing oftechnical barriers to trade andsanitary and phytosanitarymeasures, industrial develop-ment, facilitation of trade inservices, trade promotion anddevelopment, and support ontrade-related adjustments.

The TRF will aim to addressimplementation challengesfaced by SADC Member Statesin their trade and industrial de-velopment programmes so asto increase intra-SADC trade.

It will complement other re-gional integration pro-

grammes such as the ProjectPreparation and DevelopmentFacility (PPDF) and the Re-gional Economic IntegrationSupport (REIS).

The PPDF aims to bridgegaps in infrastructure provi-sion to improve competitive-ness and facilitate regional andinternational trade, while REIStargets the improvement of ca-pacity to strengthen regionaleconomic integration.

The TRF is specifically tar-geted at national-level imple-mentation challenges andconstraints, which are identi-fied by countries themselvesthrough their national indica-tive programmes.

The projects and pro-grammes should be consistentwith SADC’s integration strat-egy and national developmentplans of Member States. r

gional Economic Communities(RECs), adding more is ex-pected once the Tripartite FTAbecomes operational.

He said the combined intra-trade of the three RECs for theperiod 2004 to 2014 grew fromUS$30.6 billion to US$102.6billion,with intra-SADC traderising from US$20 billion toUS$72 billion over the sameperiod. (See table)

COMESA recorded intra-re-gional trade growth fromUS$8 billion to US$22 billion,while the EAC registeredgrowth from US$2.6 billion toUS$8.6 billion.

“I am confident that the es-tablishment of the COMESA-EAC-SADC FTA would followthe same growth path, how-ever at an accelerated growthpace and, supported by infra-structure and industrializationprogrammes,” he said. r


B U S I N E S S B R I E F S

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES are los-ing money through illicit channels attwice the rate at which their economiesare growing, according to new esti-mates.

Further, the total volume of theselost funds appears to be rapidlyexpanding. Findings from GlobalFinancial Integrity (GFI), a, re-confirmprevious estimates that developingcountries are losing almost atrillion dollars a year through taxevasion, corruption and other finan-cial crimes by mainly foreign in-vestors.

Towards intra-African trade SOUTH AFRICA PresidentJacob Zuma has said Africancountries are working to-gether to remove barriers thatare hindering intra-Africantrade.

“We realise that if you are inAfrica it is difficult to moveand we are saying it should bequick to move if we are to im-plement our belief that intra-Africa is important andtherefore once we have the in-frastructure, it should not beblocked by the different coun-tries,” Zuma said at the recentWorld Economic Forum heldin Davos, Switzerland.

“I know that regulations arethe biggest problems for in-vestors. These are matters weare dealing with to try andmake it easy [for investors toinvest]. We are also looking athow investors can do businesseasily without dealing withcomplicated bureaucracies.These are matters we are ad-dressing,” he said.

He said while Africa wasblessed with skilled industrial-ists, it was sad that these haverelocated to countries outsidethe continent because therewere no industries in their re-spective countries to use thoseskills.

“We believe that once wehave the infrastructure, wehave energy, those skills aregoing to come back to thecountry and they are not going

The report, which covers the decadethrough 2012 show that the rate of il-licit outflows has risen significantly.

In 2003, for example, the cumulativeillicit capital leaving developing coun-tries was pegged at US$297 billioncompared to US$991 billion in 2012.

One of the most common mecha-nisms for moving this money has beenthe falsification of trade invoices.

Potential avenues include illegalskimming from or shifting of profits indeveloping countries, carried out bycriminal entities, corrupt officials anddishonest corporations. r

to leave the continent. Sotherefore the shortage of skillsis not going to be an issue andthese are the matters we areworking on.” SAnews.gov.za r

ZAMBIA AND Zimbabwehave secured US$275 millionin loans and grants to reha-bilitate the gigantic power-generating Kariba Dam onthe border between the twocountries.

The grant comes afterwarnings that the wall stand-ing 128 metres is aging andneeds repair.

The European Union isexpected to provide thelargest chunk of US$100 mil-lion, while the World Bankand the African DevelopmentBank will each chip inwith US$75 million in loans.Sweden will grant US$25 mil-lion.

Rehabilitation of the damis expected to cost US$300million, and the two coun-tries have agreed to pay thedifference.

Kariba Dam is one of theworld's largest, generatingmore than 1,300 megawattsof hydropower for the twocountries. r

Time to curb illicit flows out of Africa

Namibia aims to be regional hubfor SADCNAMIBIA HAS released amaster plan that aims to trans-form the country into a re-gional hub for SADCcountries.

Commissioned by the Gov-ernment of Namibian and theJapan International Coopera-tion Agency (JICA), the plansays good infrastructure andNamibia's geographical posi-tion give the country huge po-tential to become aninternational logistics and dis-tribution centre in southernAfrica.

It also recommends thatNamibia must present itsstrong selling points thatmakes it favourable in com-parison with the other well es-tablished gateways.

“The prices must not behigher than one-third of theprice in Cape Town or Durban.This is the single-most impor-

tant factor for attracting logis-tics business; relatively highland prices will undermineany of the other pull-factors,”reads part of the plan.

Namibia is already progresstowards establishing itself asare regional hub. For example,a new container terminal at theWalvis Bay Port is expected tobe fully operational by 2018.

The target is to increase thehandling capacity of the port.Cargo flow is expected to in-crease over the next fewyears, according a recent as-sessment.

For example, TransNamiband JICA estimate that futurecargo volume transported byrailway could be 4.8 milliontonnes by 2020 compared to4.9 million tons in 2025 basedon forecasting of future cargoflow and the current modalsplit ratio. The Namibian r

Zambia, Zimbabweto rehabilitateKariba dam


Events February-April 2015

February17, Ministerial Committee of the OrganSouth Africa The meeting will deliberate on a number of issues aimed at promoting

peace and security in the SADC region. The committee is made up of theministers responsible for foreign affairs, defence, public security and statesecurity from the countries that make up the SADC Organ on Politics, De-fence and Security Cooperation.

22-23, SADC RISDP Review Task Force MeetingZimbabwe The multi-stakeholder task force will meet to validate the contents of the

updated Draft RISDP 2015-2020 and the Draft Implementation Framework.The task force comprises representatives from the Member States, the SADCSecretariat, SADC subsidiary and affiliated institutions, policy research in-stitutions and independent experts.

24-24, Meeting of SADC Experts on Industry and TradeZimbabwe Experts from SADC Member State governments will converge in Harare to

finalise a roadmap and strategy on industrialisation of the region. The out-come of the meeting will feed into a meeting of the SADC Ministerial TaskForce on Regional Integration scheduled for March, also in Zimbabwe.

26-27, SADC Energy Thematic Group MeetingsBotswana The Energy Thematic Group is a coordination meeting of cooperating part-

ners, experts, SADC and its subsidiary organizations to discuss ways of as-sisting the region in tackling its energy challenges.

28, Lesotho Lesotho General ElectionsBasotho will cast their votes in general elections to choose 80 members ofthe 120-member National Assembly. The other 40 parliamentarians areelected from one national constituency using party-list proportional repre-sentation. The elections were brought forward from the originally set 2017following an agreement by the country’s political stakeholders.

March5, Zimbabwe Ministerial Task Force on Regional Integration

Ministers responsible for trade and industry, finance, economic planningand infrastructure development in the SADC region will meet to discuss astrategy and roadmap for industrialisation of the region. This follows thedecision of the 34th SADC Summit held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe whichdirected the Secretariat to developa practical and implementable strategyand roadmap for industrialisation in the region.

6, Zimbabwe SADC Council of MinistersThe SADC Council of Ministers is responsible for supervising and monitor-ing the functions and development of SADC, and ensuring that policies areproperly implemented to advance regional integration.

26, 38th SAPP Executive Committee Meeting and 20th Anniversary of the SAPPSouth Africa The meeting will be attended by chief executive officers and managing di-

rectors of the 12 SAPP member utilities and will chart the way forward to-wards the attainment of the goal of integrating the regional powergeneration and distribution networks. It will review the current electricitysituation in the region.

April15-16, Southern Africa ICT 2015Mozambique The summit will gather policymakers, regulators and industry leaders to

share knowledge, network and develop strategies on best practices. Themeeting will focus on the deployment of ICT solutions to improve the qual-ity of life for southern African citizens and empower them to showcase theirknowledge and skills.

30, SADC Extraordinary Summit on IndustrialisationZimbabwe Following the call by SADC leaders at their Summit in 2014 to prioritise

industrialisation in regional economic integration agenda, the region willhold a special summit to discuss a framework for strengthening industrialcapacity in southern Africa.

30, Tanzania constitutional referendumTanzania Tanzanians will vote in a referendum to decide on a new constitution which

will replace the one passed in 1977. Among other provisions, the new con-stitution sets a limit on how many cabinet ministers can be appointed bythe president, introduces the principle of parity in gender representation inparliament, and gives women equal land ownership rights with men.

E V E N T S

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAYis produced as a reference source of

activities and opportunities in the Southern African Development Community, and a guide for

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

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E-mail [email protected] Website www.sadc.int

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY 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 bereproduced freely in the media and elsewhere, with attribution.

EDITORMunetsi Madakufamba

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

Phyllis Johnson, Danai Majaha, Anesu Ngadya, Anisha Madanhi, Tanaka Chitsa, Nyarai Kampilipili

EDITORIAL ADVISOR

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, 2015

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY welcomes contributions from individuals and or-ganizations within the SADC region in form of articles, photographs, news items andcomments, and also relevant articles from outside the region. The publishers reservethe right to select or reject items, and to edit to fit the space available. The contentsdo not necessarily reflect the official positions or opinions of SADC or SARDC.

SOUTHERN AFRICA TODAY is published in English, Portuguese and French, andis available electronically at www.sardc.net Knowledge for Development, linkedto www.sadc.int

DESIGN & LAYOUTTonely Ngwenya

PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONSP1 waterearth.org.co, work.chron.com, noveltdiamonds.com;

P2 en.starafrica.com, zncc.co.org, img.timeinc.com, www.au.int; P4 uhuruspirit.org, thegide.com, matrix.genesis.com;

P5 zambezipress.com, mwebantu.com; P6 nationalgeographic.com, africanarguments.com; P7 esi-africa.com;

P8-9 gbcghana.com, thisisafrica.com,au.nt.co, P.Johnson SARDC;P10 daff.qld.gov; P11 aid abc.net, timeslive.com, defense.gov;

P12 nationalgeographic.com, mirror.co.uk, colordomtn.edu; P13 iccwbo.org; P16 Anders Johanssen, portaldeangola.com, P.Johnson SARDC

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AFRICA TODAY

SADC TODAY Vol 17 No 2 February 2015

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

3 FEBRUARY is Heroes Day in Mozambique to commemorate thedeath of the founder and first president of the MozambiqueLiberation Front (Frelimo), EduardoMondlane. Mondlane was assassinated on 3February 1969 by a parcel bombsent by the Portuguese securitypolice and delivered to him in Dares Salaam, Tanzania. The date is commemorated eachyear in Mozambique as Heroes Day. The holiday has expanded tohonour the lives of fallen soldiers,men and women who foughtbravely for the country’sindependence in 1975 and thosewho have contributed to thedevelopment of post-independence Mozambique.

The day is a public holiday celebrated with parades andwith speeches from various political groupsaiming to support equality for allMozambique’s citizens.

The main celebration is held at the Heroes'Square near the international airport inMaputo. At the centre of the square stands astar-shaped monument of white marblewhere Mondlane is interred, as well as the

country's first President, Samora Macheland other heroes of the liberation struggle.

The 2015 celebrations are the first tobe officiated by newly elected President,Filipe Nyusi, born three years beforeFrelimo was formed from three othermovements in 1962, and he wasbrought up in the national liberationmovement that won independence

from Portuguese colonial rule. Tanzania provided shelter for

Mozambican refugees and a rear base forFrelimo guerrillas, including training andequipment as well as hosting the LiberationCommittee of the Organization of AfricanUnity.

Nyusi called on all Mozambicans tovalue the legacy of Mondlane andothers who sacrificed their lives foran independent and sovereignMozambique. r

Mozambique commemorates Heroes Day

Angola remembers start of thearmed struggle4 FEBRUARY is an important datein Angola’s history, and is com-memorated as the start of thearmed struggle for national libera-tion from Portugal. This was alandmark in the African struggleagainst colonization that eventuallybrought independence to Angolaon 11 November 1975.

At dawn on 4 February 1961, agroup of men and women armed with sticks, ma-chetes and other weapons attacked the São Pauloand Casa da Reclusão prisons in Luanda to freeprisoners who had been threatened with death bythe colonial regime.

The response was crude with repressiveaction throughout the country. The arrests,tortures and murders of this period led somenationalists, such as Angola’s founding Pres-ident Dr Agostinho Neto, to organise for theliberation struggle.

His party, the Popular Movement for theLiberation of Angola (MPLA), had been es-tablished in 1956 with the objective of free-ing Angola from repression.

The MPLA called for resistance against colo-nial rule and independence for the country,and worked towards this for the next 20 years.

3 February, 4 February Dates to remember and reflect

1 February Abolition of Slavery Day Mauritius3 February Thaipoosam Cavadee Mauritius3 February Heroes Day Mozambique 4 February National Armed Struggle Day Angola16 February Carnival Angola17 February Maha Shivaratree Mauritius19 February Chinese Spring Festival Mauritius

3 March Martyrs Day Malawi8 March Women’s Day Angola, Zambia11 March Moshoeshoe’s Day Lesotho12 March National Day Mauritius

Youth Day Zambia21 March Independence Day Namibia

Human Rights Day South AfricaOugadi Mauritius

29 March Martyrs Day Madagascar

3 April Good Friday Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Seychelles,

South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

4 April Easter/Holy Saturday Seychelles, Zambia4 April Peace and Reconciliation Day Angola

Women’s Day Mozambique6 April Easter Monday Botswana, Lesotho,

Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania,

Zambia, Zimbabwe7 April Sheik Abeid Karume Day Tanzania18 April Independence Day Zimbabwe19 April King’s Birthday Swaziland25 April National Flag Day Swaziland26 April Union Day Tanzania27 April Freedom Day South Africa

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN SADCFebruary –April 2015

A shared future within a regional community

Agostinho Neto

Samora Machel, Eduardo Mondlane

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