Southern African leaders said on Monday economic growth in their region can only be achieved by creating peace and stability, as they kicked off a two-day summit in Tanzania.
”We have witnessed a number of positives since 1992 that have come out of SADC mechanims that were implemented, but our continued success depends on how we manage our challenges,” the executive secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Prega Ramsamy said.
Ramsamy, of Mauritius, said southern African economies had grown from 2,7% in 2001 to 3,2% in 2002.
”We expect that to continue in 2003 with the peace that has been achieved in the region.”
Angola and Mozambique were in the lead with 2002 economic growth rates of 13,8% and eight percent respectively.
”Achievements like these are important to create investor confidence in the region where 40% of the people live on less than one US dollar a day,” Ramsamy said.
Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa told about 3 000 delegates at the opening that the summit would focus on defeating poverty and HIV/Aids.
”We have won our political freedom but political freedom and poverty is only half a freedom. We must give our people hope that the battle against poverty and HIV/Aids will be won,” Mkapa said.
South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said a major topic at the summit would be the possible signing of a Mutual Defence Pact, intended to counter coup attempts and civil wars in the region.
”South Africa is very keen for the defence pact to be submitted for a signature,” he told reporters ahead of the gathering.
”Without this structure we will not be able to deal with conflicts and potential conflicts.”
Created in 1980 by nine founding members, the SADC now groups 14 states in the region. It was originally formed to aid economic development and to respond to basic needs, but has extended its remit to include security and defence issues.
The signing of peace accords in 2002 to end three decades of fighting in Angola lifted hopes for the region, compounded with a fledgling peace process underway in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since June.
SADC groups Angola, Botswana, the DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The region has a combined population of nearly 200-million, and a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of $196-billion (180-billion euros). It has set itself the objective of becoming an economic community and a common market on the lines of the European Union.
Angola has held the rotating presidency of the body since October last year, and will hand over to Tanzania this week.
The SADC leaders will discuss stablising Angola and the DRC, where recent wars have been economically crippling, and Zimbabwe, where a political crisis has sent its once vibrant economy into freefall.
Influential SADC countries, like South Africa, have been criticised by western governments for their policy of ”quiet diplomacy” towards Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s government, which embarked on a violent land redistribution programme more than three years ago.
The Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan, which will provide a blue print for SADC development for the next 15 years, will be on the agenda, as well as the Aids epidemic and famine.
About 14 million people are infected with HIV or Aids in the SADC countries, while around 15.5 million people face starvation. – Sapa-AFP