Seychelles attends SADC extraordinary summit meeting in Swaziland |22 March 2017

Seychelles has commended SADC (Southern African Development Community) for its collective effort in developing the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap 2015-2063 and reiterated that the Blue economy has the potential to deepen regional integration.

The statement was read on behalf of the Head of State, President Danny Faure, by secretary of state in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Barry Faure, at the Lozitha Palace, Swaziland, on March 18, 2017.

The Extraordinary Summit, presided by current SADC chair, King Mswati III, had been called to approve the Costed Action Plan in line with SADC’s decision to prioritise industrialisation on the SADC agenda as a vehicle to address economic development and deepen regional integration in the SADC region.

Speaking to the 15-member Southern Africa organisation, Ambassador Faure emphasised on the critical need for the Strategy, Roadmap and Action Plan to be “owned” at Member State level and recommended that “a real validation process” is required at national level with “the full engagement of all economic actors”.

Additionally, he highlighted the need to put in place appropriate governance institutions with the inclusion of the key economic operators.

Furthermore, Seychelles stressed the importance of having the right macro-economic policy environment both at regional level and member state level in order to mobilise financing, investment and innovation into industrialisation.

“The required resources will not be mobilised without a macro-economic policy that is favourable, certain, predictable and stable,” said Ambassador Faure.

“As much as SADC member States commit to devising National Indicative Public Coordination Costs, we need to spell out the economic benefits in terms of wealth creation, poverty alleviation, job creation, gender mainstreaming and equity among other key indicators which we should set as targets to achieve at the end of the first phase in 2030,” he said.

“By focussing on deliverables which have a tangible and early impact on the economy, we shall be creating the conditions to attract early interest, dynamism and investment,” Ambassador Faure added.

Seychelles also recommended the establishment of necessary and timely progress reporting by member States to the SADC secretariat, beginning within six months of the Summit to frontload member States commitments and to enable proper monitoring and evaluation to take place at the earliest.

Kenneth Racombo, director general for Development and Regional Integration in the Department of Foreign Affairs; Barry Assary, director for Policy, Strategy and Research; Allan Kilindo, deputy chief executive in Industrial Estates Authority and Francesca De Charmoy Lablache, Economist-Development and Regional Integration in the Department of Foreign Affairs, also took part in the Summit which was preceded by the Council of Ministers and the Senior Officials meetings.