The regional support programme for Zimbabwe initiated by SADC in the amount of R300 million has now been handed over for local management.

Zimbabwe has been given the responsibility to manage the day-to-day administration of the regional humanitarian and development assistance programme aimed at helping the country address socio-economic challenges.

Prior to this, the SADC Secretariat was supervising the implementation of the programme established in September 2008 when the country was facing serious humanitarian challenges.

SADC Member States launched the Zimbabwe Humanitarian and Development Assistance Framework (ZHDAF) in support of the Global Political Agreement to assist the inclusive government to deal with its challenges in various sectors such as agriculture and health.

Under the programme, a total of R300 million was provided to Zimbabwe to prepare for the 2008/09 agricultural season.

The country used R240 million for the procurement of inputs such as maize and sorghum seed, according to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development.

The balance of R60 million was used for the procurement of fertilizer for the 2009 winter wheat season.

SADC Executive Secretary Tomaz Salomão said the ZHDAF has yielded positive results with an estimated 1.6 million metric tones of cereals expected this year – an increase of more than 100 percent over last year.

He said through such joint cooperation, the SADC region will be able to solve most of its challenges.

He expressed hope that Zimbabwe will continue to administer the programme well as the country still requires significant assistance in agriculture and other sectors to turn around its economy.

"I believe that the inclusive government of Zimbabwe has the needed capacity to continue running this successful programme with the involvement of the stakeholders in the country," he said.

Dr Salomão said SADC had initially taken the lead in managing the programme as "at that time, this was a very critical issue because the country was facing difficulties relating to claims of bias on the basis of political affiliation."

However, unity of purpose shown by the inclusive government since then has made it unnecessary for the SADC Secretariat to play a central coordinating role in the programme.

He said the handover of activities does not mean the end of the programme as SADC remains "available to assist Zimbabwe in any way possible" in order to ensure the country improves its economy.

Acting Agriculture Minister Ignatius Chombo said Zimbabwe is "grateful for the assistance" and will work closely with SADC in implementing the programme.

The Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Zimbabwe, Mawampanga Mwana Nanga, whose country currently chairs SADC, applauded the region for offering a home-grown solution that not only addresses the situation but also deepens regional integration.

"Africa has much more to offer to itself than going round the world begging for help," Mwana Nanga said.

South Africa, which played a greater role in mobilizing funds for the programme, concurred saying regional cooperation is the answer to most problems faced by SADC countries.

"The programme demonstrated that in partnership, the region has enough capacity and resources to address its challenges," South African ambassador to Zimbabwe, Professor Mlungisi Makalima, said.

Various government ministries, the SADC Secretariat and the diplomatic community, which performed a crucial role of the overall monitoring exercise, witnessed the handover ceremony held in Harare, Zimbabwe in early December.

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