WE NEED NEW REALISTIC GOALS - FORMER PRESIDENT

MATSAPHA – The Southern African Development Community (SADC) needs to develop more new realistic goals, which will drive the region towards its integration goals.

This was the conclusion relayed by the guest speaker, former President of Tanzania Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, when presenting his lecture on ‘Upscaling Regional Economic Integration and Development in SADC’.
He said integration was no easy feat and this had been highlighted by the fact that SADC was still at the first stage of integration, a target which it had set for itself many years ago.

Kikwete highlighted the fact that a number of factors had to be considered for integration to be rolled out in any region.
“We need to develop a new calendar that is more realistic to our current situation,” Kikwete said.
He explained that integration meant weaving economies of different countries together and offering preferential trade to each other.
According to timelines set by agreements signed by member countries, SADC should, by now, have had in place a free trade area for all 15 member States by 2008.

The SADC Customs Union, which should have been implemented in 2013, has also not seen the light of day and common markets should have been established in 2015. This year, SADC should be in the process of implementing or establishing a Monetary Union, according to Kikwete.
 Lastly, in 2018, the region is expected to implement a single currency to be used by SADC, similar to the Euro, which is used by European countries.

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