SADC TODAY Vol. 14.1 No 1 December 2011 The Year 2011 SOUTHERN AFRICA took another step (RECs) include those along the North-South towards regional integration this year, with Corridor, which traverses eight countries in achievements as well as challenges in trade southern and eastern Africa, stretching integration, energy, conservation, and gender between the ports of Dar es Salaam and equality. Durban. POLICY 3 The main indicator of trade integration An initial US$1.2 billion was raised in was the formal launch of negotiations by April 2009 to upgrade regional infrastructure, CLIMATE CHANGE 4 SADC, the Common Market for Eastern and including more than 8,000 kilometres of roads Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East and 600km of rail, as well as ports and energy FOOD SECURITY 5 African Community (EAC) to establish an transmission lines. INFRASTRUCTURE 6 integrated market covering 26 countries, half SADC continues to experience serious of Africa. energy shortfalls as it advances toward the TRADE 7 The proposed Tripartite Free Trade Area is desired surplus power generation, expected expected to boost intra-regional trade by in 2014 if short term power projects are ENERGY 8-10 creating a wider market, more investment implemented on time. BUSINESS BRIEFS 11 flows, stronger competition, and the Power utilities who are members of the development of cross-regional infrastructure. Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) have CHINA-AFRICA 12 This “Grand” FTA would offer a identified priority projects for commissioning combined market of more than 600 million over the next few years, and the region is ELECTIONS 13 people and a Gross Domestic Product of slowly turning to renewable energy as the COMMUNITY 14 about US$1 trillion, opening borders to move towards cleaner, alternative energy literally half of the continent, spanning the gains momentum through development of EVENTS 15 entire southern and eastern regions of Africa renewable energy sources such as solar, hydro HISTORY TODAY 16 – from the Cape to Cairo. and wind. Major infrastructure projects planned by the three Regional Economic Communities continued on page 2... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The Year 2011 The 2011 Summit of SADC although some countries will Rajoelina seized power from called on the Ministerial Task Heads of State and not participate. Nine President Marc Ravalomanana Force on Regional Economic Government reviewed the member states have ratified in a public demonstration Integration to deepen debate implementation of the Protocol, leaving four backed by the military. on how to protect the region infrastructure programmes signatories to do so, while SADC mediation efforts in from external shocks. including the Zimbabwe- Botswana and Mauritius Lesotho were successfully The Ministerial Task Force Zambia-Botswana-Namibia continue to refuse to sign, concluded, and ongoing in was established this year to (ZiZaBoNa) interconnector for saying respectively that they Zimbabwe, where elections are identify priorities to reorient electricity and underscored the cannot meet the targets or have expected next year following a the SADC integration agenda, importance of infrastructure, reservations about certain referendum on a new and Summit urged the Task urging speedy conclusion of clauses. Constitution. Force to engage in strategic the Infrastructure Master Plan. The SADC region had The SADC Summit held in discussions in this regard in In 2011, SADC established made significant advances in Luanda, Angola in August the context of review of the the world’s largest Trans equal representation of women reviewed the socio-economic Regional Indicative Strategic Frontier park when five and men in politics and situation in the region, noting Development Plan (RISDP). countries signed the treaty for decision-making, towards the improvement in the macro- The proposed SADC the Kavango-Zambezi Trans SADC and African Union economic performance Customs Union, postponed Frontier Conservation Area target of “50-50 by 2015”, indicators in 2010 over 2009, since 2010, is one of the (KAZA TFCA), involving however the past two years such as growth in real average subjects for study by the Task Angola, Botswana, Namibia, have seen a serious reversal in GDP which stood at 4.9 Force to expedite work Zambia and Zimbabwe and progress with the number of percent, investments which leading to a common covering an area of some 444, women in parliament and improved to 24.9 percent of understanding and agreement 000 square kilometres. cabinet actually going down in GDP, and a decline in inflation on the proposed customs As the year drew to a close, most countries that held to 7.5 percent. union, which would allow South Africa hosted a major elections. global conference on climate In Zambia, only two change tasked with negotiating women were appointed a consensus on the future of the ministers in a trimmed 19- Kyoto Protocol that expires in member Cabinet, representing 2012. just 10.5 percent. The 17th Conference of Five SADC Member States Parties to the United Nations held elections this year, based Framework Convention on on the SADC Principles Climate Change (known as and Guidelines Governing COP17) offered an opportunity Democratic Elections, and a for the global community to SADC Elections Observation President José Eduardo Dos Santos of Angola (left) is the current chair reach agreement towards a Mission (SEOM) was of SADC from August 2011 to August 2012, and President Jacob Zuma common goal. By the end of the dispatched to each election to of South Africa chairs the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security conference, they had agreed to determine conformity with Cooperation during the same period. continue talking for another regional and international three years. standards. SADC Summit had urged The people of the Most SADC countries SADC Member States to have all Member States to support Democratic Republic of Congo continued to make a steady a common external tariff. the African common position. (DRC), Mauritius, Seychelles recovery from the global Summit also reviewed 2011 was the year that the and Zambia went to the polls financial crisis that has affected HIV and AIDS in the key focus SADC Protocol on Gender and for national elections, while most of the world since 2008 areas of prevention, treatment, Development received enough South Africans voted for and most are expected to care and support, and noted ratifications to enter into force, municipal councillors in local record economic growth rates that the region has recorded a although delays in depositing elections. well above 5 percent in 2011 on significant decline in new documents with the SADC In Madagascar, SADC the back of strong performance infections since 2009. Secretariat may move that continued with its mediation by the key sectors of Summit noted progress in milestone into 2012. efforts and in a major agriculture, mining and the regional food security The challenge remains breakthrough, the Malagasy manufacturing. situation, in cereal, non-cereal, in domestication and parties have agreed to hold However, Summit noted and livestock production, and implementation of the Protocol, general elections in 2012. the need to remain alert to the urged Member States to and SADC gender ministers Madagascar slid into political risks posed by financial and increase production, diversity have initiated a process turmoil in March 2009 when economic volatilities in and promote income- towards a regional action plan, opposition leader Andry developed economies and generating opportunities. r 2 SOUTHERN AFRICA Today, December 2011 POLICY SADC approves plan to cut emissions from forest degradation SADC MINISTERS res- This will strengthen unregulated logging. All these other sources, making ponsible for environment and capacities of countries to are connected to high sustainable management and natural resources have design REDD+ policies and population growth, persistent conservation of SADC forests approved a regional plan to programmes, while at the poverty, increased energy as well as fire management help Member States to tap same time providing a demand and weak regulation particularly urgent mitigation into benefits derived from framework for strategic and management of forests. measures. reducing emissions from cooperation among SADC According to the SADC There is also pressure to deforestation. Member States on issues of REDD programme document, increase the area under The programme document regional interest. biomass carbon losses from agriculture to meet the food on “SADC Support Implementation of REDD+ deforestation in the region requirements of the growing Programme on Reducing is expected to complement, amount to 54 percent of those population at the expense of Emission from Deforestation facilitate and enhance the from the entire continent. forestry. and Forest Degradation existing regional policies and Rural and urban demand Rural industries use (REDD)” was approved protocols on Forestry, Wildlife for wood fuel has increased substantial amounts of wood during a meeting in Management and Trans and is expected to continue to burn bricks, smoke fish, Windhoek, Namibia. Frontier Conservation Areas rising due to growing cure tobacco, brew beer and In the document, Member (TFCAs) for management of populations and macro- to dry salt. The equivalent of States have agreed to biological diversity. economic changes. Most one hectare of woodland is coordinate inter and intra- SADC becomes the first urban areas in the SADC cut to cure each hectare of