INDUSTRY and Commerce minister Nqobizitha Ndlovu says Sadc must us bilateral or multilateral agreements to strengthen cross-border value chains, amid a political tiff between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The minister made the remarks in recognition of the forthcoming Sadc Industrialisation Week.
However, these remarks come at a time when tensions between Zambia and Zimbabwe are high following President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s incendiary remarks during a recent visit to Russia.
Mnangagwa accused Zambia of being used by the West to consolidate its power regionally, adding that they were supporting the neighbouring country to make Zimbabwe feel “lonely”.
Speaking in the meeting with Sadc ambassadors ahead of the scheduled ‘Sadc Industrialisation Week’ slated to run from July 28 to August 2, Ndlovu said the region needed to come up with strategies that supported the livelihoods of its people.
Hence, he said, there was a need to be innovative and promote industrialisation of the region through infrastructural development and trade.
“Realising the importance of moving together as we approach our Sadc Industrialisation Week, which we look forward to and hope that it will be a success for our economies as a region,” Ndlovu said in the meeting in Harare on Wednesday this week.
“I just want to really emphasise that, the Sadc Industrialisation Week itself is our baby as Sadc. As the governments of Sadc, we saw it important and befitting that we continue to discuss around how we industrialise our region, how we grow our economies so that we create employment so that we improve the standards of living of our people,” he said.
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Consequently, the minister said given that the region would soon be under the African Continental Free Trade Area, the bloc needed to prepare for the initiative.
“Those who have industrialised will benefit the most.
That is why our view and belief is that we need to make full use of platforms such as the Sadc Industrialisation Week,” Ndlovu said.
“To make use of bilateral or multilateral agreements we have to strengthen cross-border value chains, to come up also with infrastructural projects that benefit the region in general,” Ndlovu said.
He said Sadc could not continue being a region beset with energy insecurity.
“We need to look at this because ultimately they have this disproportionate effect on our industry,” Ndlovu said.
The meeting was graced by Sadc ambassadors including Derick Livune from Zambia, Nicklass R Kandjii (Namibia), Simon Nyakoro Sirro (Tanzania) and others.
