Since the inception of the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) three years ago, it has been broadly accepted as an important vehicle towards the achievement of development goals and objectives of the continent. The achievement of these goals, however, requires both national and regional efforts and SADC has taken NEPAD as an integral part of its policy development in the region in order to contribute to the continental objectives.

Synergies exist between SADC’s Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) and NEPAD in a number of areas including democracy, peace, security and governance; agriculture; food security and environment; education and health; science and technology; and infrastructure development and tourism. SADC and NEPAD have elaborated an implementation strategy with clear responsibilities, activities and timeframes in these areas.

rom the conceptualisation to the development and advocating of the continental initiative, SADC played and continues to play an active role at the continental and global levels, through marketing NEPAD for support and partnership.

NEPAD has been included in SADC policy meetings since its inception in 2001. This is reflected in a number of decisions made by the Council of Ministers and endorsed by the SADC Summit.

In fulfillment of Council decisions, the SADC Secretariat formulated the RISDP which reflects the objectives, principles and priorities of NEPAD.

In addition to the region’s indicative plan, the Secretariat developed a number of projects in consultation with member states and these have been submitted for consideration and funding within the NEPAD framework. The project areas include energy, transport, water, agriculture, health and environment.

With projections indicating that the region’s power supply will reach crisis levels by 2007, power utilities in SADC countries have decided to team up to find ways and means of harmonising the energy sector. They have developed the Western Corridor Power Project (WESTCOR) whose objective is pooling the vast hydro potential in Angola, DRC and Namibia.

In the transport sector, the region has formulated several projects, which are aimed at easing cross-border movements within the region, and rehabilitating rail and road networks.

The NEPAD and SADC secretariats have worked closely in the coordination and development of a Tourism Action Plan, which was endorsed by heads of state and government at the African Union’s Third Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in July this year.

The region has also participated in environmental issues by contributing significantly in the development of an Action Plan for the Environment Initiative of NEPAD. This plan contains a number of project proposals formulated and presented by the region. Plans are underway to develop a SADC Sub-regional Action Plan on the Environment Initiative of NEPAD which will contain projects in all programme areas. The region has also submitted projects aimed at the effective management of water resources in the region.

Over the past decade, SADC’s agriculture production has not improved, with poverty, food insecurity and the food import bill increasing. In order to address these problems, SADC has included in the RISDP, strategies that seek to, among other things, “attain sustainable access to safe and adequate food by all people and at all times for a healthy life”.

Since April 2003, the SADC Secretariat has been working with NEPAD on agricultural programmes in irrigation, food safety, food reserve facilities, and agricultural trade as part of the measures for recovery and long-term regional food security.

In the health sector, SADC is making efforts to implement its HIV and AIDS Strategic Programme and Plan of Action 2003-2007 and the Maseru Declaration. The areas covered under SADC policy in this regard are aligned to the mandate of the NEPAD Health Policy strategy to address the pandemic in Africa.

SADC Council also approved recommendations from a high-level NEPAD meeting, which took place during the SADC summit in Mauritius in August, to enhance coordination between the two Secretariats. Regular meetings will thus be held by the representatives from SADC on the NEPAD Steering Committee which include Angola, Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa plus the current chair of SADC, Mauritius.

Decisions made by extraordinary meeting of the SADC Council of Ministers in Blantyre, Malawi in January 2002

The development of the RISDP and the SADC restructuring process should reflect NEPAD and programmes should be harmonised; The SADC Secretariat should attend the NEPAD Steering Committee meetings; A working relationship should be developed between the SADC and NEPAD Secretariats; The cost implications of the implementation of NEPAD, including the involvement of the Secretariat, should be noted by member states, so that they can be considered and factored into future planning and budgeting in appropriate cases; and The SADC Secretariat should carry out a study on the relationship between NEPAD and the Regional Economic Communities.