EU, Germany and SADC launch a €18.7 million programme to support SADC Member States and Secretariat in implementing regional integration

The Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the European Union Delegation to Botswana and SADC and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany on 23rd November 2018 launched the SADC Integrated Institutional Capacity Building (IICB) Programme, co-funded to the tune of 18.7 Million Euros.

The IICB Programme is aimed at enhancing the capacity of national structures of SADC Member States and the Secretariat to facilitate and coordinate implementation of regional programmes as identified in the SADC Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), a development and implementation framework that guides SADC Regional Integration Agenda.

Speaking at the official launch held in Gaborone, Botswana, the Executive Secretary of SADC, Her Excellency Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax hailed the continued and long-standing collaboration between SADC, the European Union and the Republic of Germany in promoting and deepening SADC regional integration.

H.E. Dr. Tax said, through this IICB Programme, SADC will focus on activities with impact in sectoral coordinating structures in three sectors, namely Industrialization, Agriculture and Infrastructure development.

The SADC Executive Secretary said, building on the success of Strengthening National-Regional Linkages (SNRL) Programme, implemented by the GIZ since 2016, SADC will expand coverage to at least 10 Member States from the three; Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia that were supported under the SNRL programme. On this note, H.E. Dr Tax said efforts are already underway to establish and revamp SADC National Committees in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Tanzania.

H.E. Ambassador Sadek said the EU’s support to SADC is very comprehensive, addressing nearly all priority areas within SADC, such as infrastructure, trade, business environment, and agriculture and supporting peace and security, regional political cooperation and migration, thereby, contributing to the implementation of the SADC Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ on Politics, defense and security in the region (SIPO)

He announced that, in the next four years, the EU support to SADC will reach a total of more than 150 Million Euros, of which around 80 Million Euros will be managed directly by SADC.

The launch of the IICB Programme was attended by SADC Ambassadors and High Commissioners, the SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Corporate Affairs, Ambassador Joseph Andre Nourrice, SADC Directors and senior officials from SADC Secretariat, representatives from the EU Delegation and Germany Embassy in Botswana, the programme managers from GIZ and EU and the media.

Original source: SADC
Published on 23 November 2018