RISDP Dialogue

Panel Discussion on SADC RISDP – Towards a Regional Vision to End Poverty?
Lehakoe Recreation Club, Maseru , Lesotho , 17 August 2006

The panel discussion was broadcast live from 15h00 to 17h00 on South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) continental television channel SABC Africa with Mr Daniel Makokera as the moderator of the discussion. The following were the four panelists: Dr Temba Mhlongo, Former Chief Director at the SADC Secretariat; Dr Siphamandla Zondi, Director of the Africa and Southern Africa Programme at IGD; Mr Kwasi Abeasi, Chief Executive Officer of the African Business Roundtable; and Dr Khabele Matlosa, Research Director at the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA).

1. Understanding RISDP – Policies, Processes and Programmes

By Dr Temba Mhlongo

Provided an overview of the RISDP and cited examples of ongoing projects of the programme.
2001, the Heads of State and Government decided on a restructuring of SADC’s institutional framework which included radical changes such as centralisation of the coordination activities at the Secretariat and the development of the regional indicative strategic development plan (RISDP).
2004/2005,the Secretariat interrogated all the priority intervention areas proposed in the RISDP based on their potential to contribute to deeper integration and cooperation and their impact on poverty eradication and concluded that the intervention on trade liberalization and economic development have the highest contribution.
Implementation of the RISDP has not progressed further than development of implementation frameworks consisting of one 15-year implementation outlook for the long term planning horizon, a set of three medium term 5-year implementation plans, a one-year detailed implementation business plan, and the preparation of a system of operational business plans for directorates and other operational units. Likewise, the implementation of protocols does not match the rate of their adoption by member states.
The weakness in implementation is not an indication of lack of political will and commitment by member states to SADC but the fact that member states have to attend to competing objectives and balance national with regional priorities to achieve acceptable trade-offs within national budgetary constraints. This is exacerbated by the fact that the SADC institutional development is still not matching the socio-economic agenda of deep regional integration and cooperation contained in the RISDP and the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation (SIPO).
SADC remains an intergovernmental organization with a centralised administration and incapable of developing and employing self-financing instruments associated with regional integration institutions in order to finance its operations. weakness is in both mandate and capacity of the central coordinating institutions such as the Secretariat and the SADC National Committees.
National sovereignty within a regional context has not been sufficiently discussed by SADC members.
SADC Secretariat does not implement but coordinate SADC programmes since implementation happens at national level and therefore responsibility of member countries lies at the national level
SADC National committees are supposed to be supported and coordinated by national governments at national level but this has not been the case in most SADC countries.

2. Challenges and Opportunities of RISDP for CSOs

By Dr Siphamandla Zondi

Regional and national ownership of the RISDP is needed to re-enforce the consultations that are currently being undertaken.
Effective use of the capacity available in the region is required for implementation of the RISDP.
SADC Secretariat has technical and managerial authority but not sufficient political authority to effectively drive coordination of RISDP implementation. The Executive Secretary of the SADC Secretariat should be allowed sufficient political authority to be able to effectively support and coordinate RISDP implementation undertaken by member states.
Need to review role, function and structure of national SADC Committees if they are to be effective spaces for participation by CSOs.
For CSO engagement with the RISDP to be effective, there is need to ensure that a CSO person is placed within the SADC secretariat. Business sector has been successful in engaging the RISDP through such an arrangement

3. RISDP and Prospects for Business in Africa

By Mr Kwasi Abeasi

Capacity problems of institutions hinder the drive to implement the RISDP.
There seems to be a lack of common, coherent political culture in the region.
The SADC Secretariat as a coordinator should re-enforce consultations between government, business and civil society on issues concerning the region.
In as much as there are constraints in development of the region, there are still opportunities for businesses; therefore there is a need to clearly prioritize what needs to be implemented in the RISDP in order to create progressive and visible results.
There is also need to ensure that the targets set in the RISDP ensures an enabling environment for business to strive e.g. ensuring that the corporate tax isnot too high to discourage investment.
The African business actors have been waiting for a long time for this idea of creating a free trading area as this would create more opportunities for trading and job opportunities for business in different parts of the region.

4. Reflections on SADC Summit

By Dr Khabele Matlosa

Effective RISDP implementation should be measured against the main milestones that need to be reached, particularly in the areas of creating a free trade area, a customs union, a common market and a monetary union.
Key challenges for the RISDP after the SADC Summit of 2006 include: disseminating information on SADC and the RISDP to the people; implementing SADC declarations and protocols; defining the drivers of the RISDP and its accountability mechanisms at all levels; coordinating the RISDP with other regional, continental and global initiatives such the MDGs and Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS); dealing with regional integration within the context of national sovereignty.
Executive Secretary of SADC Secretariat and the Secretariat itself have to be empowered to drive the SADC process beyond decisions made by Heads of States and Government. The political background of the current SADC Secretariat Executive Secretary provides an opportunity to steer the SADC Secretariat into a more active role in coordinating implementation of SADC programmes.

5. Moderate discussion

5.1. Opportunities for incumbent SADC presidency by Lesotho

Creating an agenda for implementation of RISDP at country level and of tracking challenges in implementation so as to become a model country to the region on how to proceed with RISDP implementation.
The need to go beyond declarations and instead show political and financial goodwill towards RISDP implementation at national level.
Clearly define the actors and mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating impact at national level.
Emphasis on good governance at national level as a prerequisite for effective implementation.

5.2. Empowering the SADC Secretariat and the SADC National Committees

Empowerment should go beyond empowering the Executive Secretary, the SADC Secretariat and administering sanctions to include incentives that would promote accelerated implementation of the RISDP.
National SADC Committees, although not directly responsible for RISDP implementation at national level, can provide support and oversight assistance to coordinate certain activities at national level.
Business has been more proactive in its activities in the region within the context of regional integration than other civil society organisations.

5.3. Attainment of RISDP poverty reduction targets in the context of resource mobilization

There are still many of countries in the region that are not meeting trade, economic and investment targets which creates concern on integration targets that SADC has set for itself.
There is currently no clear common vision for integration amongst SADC countries given that it has different meanings for each member country, with each needing to consider the depth of regional integration most appropriate for them.
The targets have been set so that the region can strive to try and attain them as far as possible and evaluate the extent and depth to which they are being met. Monitoring programmes such as the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) can also serve as country self-assessment on the extent to which socio-economic development is progressing in countries, consistent with the regional integration agenda.
The region should also learn from others in the continent on recently successful development models and frameworks such as those on debt relief and tax systems that attract investment and business to the region.peting’ with continental development plans

In addition to regional plans, there are also national and continental plans such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the New Partnership for Africa ’s Development (NEPAD), all of which need to be prioritized,aligned and/or synergized for more focused and effective implementation. However the regional strategy can also assist in national processes.
It should also be noted that about 80% of the SADC Secretariat’s budget is from donor sources and in addition, the RISDP has recently been reviewed to align itself with the NEPAD programme.
The business sector has not always been involved in regional processes to effectively provide financial contributions to initiatives such as the RISDP.
RISDP is supposed to create a path to assist national development programmes countries to move in accelerated manner but not necessarily at the same pace.
There is a need for synergy in donor resource mobilization in the region so that national programmes are not seen to be ‘competing’ with regional initiatives.hip between governance and regional integration in RISDP implementation

Need to prioritise governance issues in the region to be addressed and tackle them systematically.
AU is making efforts to streamline economic unions in each region, although this is a challenge particularly where countries have overlapping regional memberships.
West Africa has a Trust fund through which ‘richer’ countries support those that are negatively affected by regional integration. SADC should have a similar structure which is modeled around compensatory policies.Membership and sanctions

In the spirit of promoting regional integration, it may be better to reward developmental successes and create incentives rather than just imposing sanctions. e of donors on regional integration

A deeper be developed on the influence that some donors have in undermining economic integration by supporting bilateral and selective agreements that are counter productive to the region’s collective long-term goals.
There are resources within SADC structures that are targeted specifically to civil society to develop programmes in support of SADC and the RISDP. CSOs need to be more active in their engagement with the SADC Secretariat.nal alignment of regional women empowerment initiatives

Civil society needs to push for national alignment with regional strategies, at national level and in a constructive manner. Market target; and 2018 Monetary Union target

Eventually,countries with overlapping regional economic grouping memberships would have to decide which regional economic community they prefer, leaving the small groupings to fall away and make way for the bigger ones. Within the SADC context, compensatory policies will need to apply.
Regionalalready taking place in an organic manner, despite the slow pace of the official processes since the people of the regional are traditionally connected by culture, business, language and communities across national borders.
Before issues of customs or trade union can be seriously discussed, standards and pre-conditions for these unions have to be agreed upon and implemented in a regulated manner.