SANF 18 No. 44 – by Kizito Sikuka in Windhoek, Namibia
The way southern Africa has handled some of the political and security challenges in its member states is commendable and gives credence to the ability and effectiveness of the region to solve its own problems without unnecessary outside interference.
African Union (AU) chairperson, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda said this in his address to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit of Heads of State and Government held on 17-18 August in Windhoek, Namibia.
He said stronger solidarity among SADC member states, which was born from the struggle for independence, is “a source of inspiration” for the African continent.
Kagame said as southern Africa strives for deeper integration and sustainable development it was critical for member states to build on this tradition and continue working together to maintain and consolidate the peace and stability that prevails in the region.
“I wish to congratulate SADC for paying closer attention to security and stability in the region and even beyond,” Kagame said, adding that peace and stability are necessary preconditions for regional development since instability in one member state can affect other countries.
In this regard, the region must always prioritise peace and security in its integration agenda and ensure that any of its members that are experiencing political challenges are assisted to resolve their problems.
He said SADC has accomplished this task in the past in handling political and security issues in Lesotho, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
SADC has been seized with the security situation in the DRC where there are pockets of instability in the eastern part of the country.
In addition, the region has lately been seized with the electoral processes in the DRC to ensure that the country finally holds elections scheduled for 23 December.
The long-awaited elections were originally supposed to be held in 2016 when the second and final term of President Joseph Kabila ended.
However, various challenges such as internal instability, lack of preparedness on the part of the electoral commission, as well as the alleged unwillingness by Kabila to step down as the leader of the country prevented the southern African nation from holding elections.
Kabila has since agreed to step down and he reiterated this when he addressed the 38th SADC Summit where he thanked SADC for working towards addressing the political situation in DRC.
In March, SADC opened a liaison office in DRC to continue monitoring and providing electoral support to the country.
A stable and peaceful DRC is central to regional integration and sustainable as the country is endowed with numerous resources and is strategically positioned in Africa.
According to the Southern African Power Pool, the Inga Dam situated on the Congo River has for example, the potential to produce about 40,000 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power most of southern Africa.
However, instability and other constrains have made it difficult for the country to fully harnesses the power potential at the Inga Dam.
President Kagame was invited to the 38th Summit of SADC Summit by southern African leaders who wanted to engage him on a variety of issues, including the ongoing discussion on the AU institutional reforms.
The 38th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government was held under the theme “Promoting Infrastructure Development and Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development.”
The theme builds on the focus of the past four SADC summits that sought to advance industrial development, and takes into account the need for adequate infrastructure to support industrialisation as well as the importance of engaging the youth, who are the bulk of the SADC population.
At the summit, Namibian President Hage Geingob took over the SADC chair from his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa. sardc.net
