SADC is shrugging off the “talk shop” tag often associated with i n t e rgovernmental bodies, increasingly adopting a new business culture that is results oriented. Gone are the days when the success of meetings of its leaders was based on how many protocols have been tabled for signature.

With a new institutional structure emerging from four years of restructuring, which is now almost complete, expectations for a more efficient, effective organisation are higher. Targets have been set in the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), and within the framework of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

For most of these targets, the deadline is 2015, which is around the corner. They range from a seven percent annual economic growth target needed to halve the number of people living in poverty, to gender equity, equality and empowerment.

Current key socio-economic indicators of member states’ performance point to a region that requires some urgency and a business-like approach to addressing the various challenges that confront southern Africa’s 208 million people.

The political and socio-economic challenges and the way forward were aptly characterised in speeches at the 2004 Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Grand Baie, Mauritius, on 16-17 August.

The speakers ranged from outgoing SADC chairperson and Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa to his successor Mauritian Prime Minister Paul Bérenger; Presidents Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique and Sam Nujoma of Namibia both of whom bade farewell to their colleagues as they will soon retire, to the newcomers, Bingu wa Mutharika elected Malawi President in May, and Marc Ravalomanana of Madagascar whose country was given candidate membership for one year before being considered for admission as a full member.

Common in all the speeches was the self-criticism which bears testimony to an organisation determined to take control of its destiny. The leaders criticised the “painstakingly slow” implementation of agreed policies. A total of 30 legal instruments, including the SADC Treaty, protocols and charters, have been adopted since 1992 when the organisation transby formed from a coordinating conference to a development community.

Of these, 20 have entered into force while the remainder awaits the requisite number of member state ratification before they become binding. For those that have been ratified, it is still a long way before the protocols are harmonised with national policy.

Apart from charters and declarations, no new protocols have been signed since 2002. Unlike charters and declarations, which are an expression of commitment, protocols constitute the legal framework which must be harmonised with national laws and policies.

In Mauritius, the leaders adopted, for immediate application, SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. The common electoral guidelines are set to be applied for the first time during the forthcoming elections in Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique.

The lack of financial resources has often been cited as the biggest factor hampering effective implementation of SADC decisions. While acknowledging the role of external support, Mkapa and Bérenger spoke in unison about the need for member states to take the lead.

Other constraints are to do with human resource capacity. The Secretariat, which plays a major advisory role to member states, does not have sufficient human resources. As noted by the summit, the four directorates, which emerged after clustering 21 sectors previously coordinated by member states, are served by officers on short term contracts and on secondment from member states and the directors are in the process of being recruited.

“The recruitment process has been painstakingly slow, the transitional phase has taken longer than anticipated, and this has heightened uncertainty and demoralisation among staff,” said Mkapa, adding that “such a situation impacts negatively on performance and programme delivery.”

The new bigger offices to accommodate the enlarged Secretariat team are also yet to be constructed four years after the decision was taken and land donated by the government of Botswana.

This will now change with member states, in an unprecedented move, committing a total of US$6,250,000 as seed money for the construction of the new o ffices. Prime Minister Bérenger also pledged to visit the Secretariat as

“early as October” to ensure that there is progress on outstanding r e s t r u c t u r i n g - r e l a t e d issues.

The Mauritian Prime Minister outlined his priority areas during his term of office, embracing those identified by his predecessor, President Mkapa – food security, HIV and AIDS, peace and security and the integration agenda. To that list, he added:

• implementation of the SADC Protocols by spelling out concrete programmes of comm u n i t y - b u i l d i n g through regional integration;
• operationalisation of the two major development plans – RISDP and Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO) and building the necessary synergy with NEPAD;
• rationalisation of the various Committees, both technical and ministerial so that there is value for money;
• increasing the credibility of SADC vis-à-vis its international cooperating partners;
• forging strong relationships with sub-regional, continental and multilateral organisations; and
• encouraging member states to align their national policies to regional cooperation so they stay on course in the globalisation process and make a significant dent on poverty. With this short and practical agenda, it is set to be an exciting year during Prime Minister Bérenger’s term of office.

He said at the close of the summit, “in Mauritius we are not known for making long speeches… we are more interested in action”.

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