.MUGABE

By CATHERINE NYIRENDA  –

in Harare, Zimbabwe
ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe has challenged Southern African Development Community (SADC) member States to come up with an effective financial mechanism to fund programmes in the regional industrialisation strategy.
President Mugabe said an effective industrialisation strategy would contribute to poverty reduction in the region and Africa as a whole.
The Zimbabwean leader said this yesterday when he opened the SADC Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government held at Rainbow Towers in Harare.
‘Regional strategy and roadmap for industrialisation’ is the theme of the summit.
President Mugabe emphasised that as the region was moving towards industrialisation, women and youths should not be forgotten as they were the backbone of the economies.
He was, however, happy that the majority of the member States had embraced the industrialisation policy framework and programmes that emphasised value addition and beneficiation.
Mr Mugabe was glad that most member States understood the critical role that industrialisation played in the fight against poverty.
SADC member States should not, however, expect those who benefitted from the export of Africa’s raw materials to fund the region’s efforts to wean itself from the unequal relationship.
By exporting natural resources in raw forms, Africa was not only earning marginal benefits from the importers, but also compromising efforts to create wealth through productive means.
He said it was imperative for the SADC countries to reverse this trend to achieve a self sustainable growth through value addition to the products.
He said the region would remain trapped in the jaws of underdevelopment if the countries continue to export raw materials, while those who added value enjoyed maximum benefits.
Mr Mugabe regretted that despite the region being rich and diverse in mineral resources, 70 per cent of the people continue to live in abject poverty.
“It is regrettable that SADC countries had remained sources of unprocessed agricultural produce, thus earning a mere 10 per cent of the actual value of the products,” Mr Mugabe said.
He bemoaned the low intra-SADC trade despite Free Trade Area as well as the region’s focus on reducing and eliminating tariffs.
SADC executive Secretary Stergomena Tax said the effective implementation of the strategy would see the region increase the levels of intra-regional trade.
Although the process would be difficult and challenging given the economic diversity of member States, Dr Tax said with determination, the countries would achieve the intended objectives and meet the set target.
President Edgar Lungu who is also attending the summit is accompanied by Commerce Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe, Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba, Lusaka Province Minister Obvious Mwaliteta, Finance Deputy Minister Christopher Mvunga and other senior Government officials.