MORE THAN A MEMENTO
TBY talks to Dr. Stergomena L. Tax, Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), on regional economic development, boosting pan-continental free trade agreements, and improving security through mutual development.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Stergomena L. Tax is a national of the United Republic of Tanzania, the sixth executive secretary, and the first female Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). She was appointed by the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government during its 33rd meeting in Lilongwe, Malawi, and was sworn in on August 18, 2013.What are the mutual benefits of a partnership between Zambia and the SADC?
The SADC is an intergovernmental organization with broad political, security, and social economic objectives. The most obvious benefits of Zambia's participation are in the political and economic areas. Zambia benefits from the security cooperation amongst SADC countries, including the assurance of non-aggression from other member states and mutual assistance in combating cross-border crimes and illicit trade. Regional economic development cooperation also provides Zambia the opportunity to access a wider market for its products and investments in an integrated manner. The integrated market enables producers, traders, and investors to enjoy a tariff-free regime for products that originate from Zambia that comply with the requirements of SADC Free Trade Area. As such, Zambia enjoys an integrated market with the 15 SADC countries that participate in the SADC Free Trade Area, with a combined population of about 294 million. Other benefits include promotion of awareness of a common historical and cultural background with its neighbors; sharing of common political values, for example, through promotion of practices of democracy; and the enhancement of political influence in international forums.
What is the importance of regional integration in Africa, and how does the SADC work to secure this?
Regional cooperation and integration are important in Africa because of the benefits that member states derive from closer political cooperation and participation in expanded markets. Each country on its own is usually too weak to operate in the uncertain international political and security socio-economic environment. Cooperation in foreign and security policy enhances the influence of weak and fragile countries, when they speak with a collective voice in international political and socioeconomic systems, such as the UN, the EU, WTO, and globally dominant economies. The fragility and dependence of individual economies are reduced when a country participates in the international political and economic systems as part of a larger single-market entity. These are some of the reasons SADC was formed in 1992, with the purpose of promoting common action, to achieve prosperity and well-being of the peoples of southern Africa.
What is the significance of the planned SADC, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and East African Community (EAC) free trade area for trade volumes in Zambia?
The Tripartite Free Trade Area, comprising COMESA, the EAC, and SADC is significant in that it will create an expanded and integrated market that is bigger than the SADC Free Trade Area. The expanded market will comprise of 26 member states, stretching from Cape Town to Cairo. This will cover a population of about 600 million people and a GDP of USD1.3 trillion. The major expected benefits will derive from provision of continent-wide access to Zambian goods and services, which could stimulate trade, investment, and economic activities across sectors and contribute towards employment, wealth creation, and overall economic development. The tripartite is anchored on three pillars: market integration, industrial development, and infrastructure development. Cooperation in industrialization and infrastructure development from a tripartite context will, therefore, greatly contribute to social economic development, peace and security, political stability, and poverty reduction.
What will be the future areas of focus for the SADC-Zambian partnership?
The SADC Common Agenda derives from the SADC Treaty. The framework for cooperation and integration have, since the early 2000s, been the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) and the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation (SIPO). These present the twin pillars of the regional strategies, which are developmental integration—RISDP—and political and security cooperation—SIPO. The latter facilitates deeper regional integration through the creation of conditions of peace, security, and political stability that are conducive to the attainment of the social economic objectives. The two pillars are considered interdependent and mutually re-enforcing, and the SADC seeks to enhance the complementarity between human development and human security.
MORE THAN A MEMENTO
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Year In Review
What A Year
Zambia has long been a bastion of stability in Southern Africa, and while its economy has been rocked in recent years by the falling value of copper prices, a devaluating kwacha, and high inflation, through the Economic Recovery Program the government has bold ambitions to right the ship.
read articleReview
Convoke, Confound & Collect
Squeezed between a rock and a rather hard place by the slowdown in Chinese demand for copper, by far Zambia's biggest export and government-revenue generator, President Lungu has been forced to get creative in his country's alliances to broaden revenue streams and lessen its dependence on the vagaries of one foreign market.
read articleGuest Speaker
Dr. Stergomena L. Tax, Executive Secretary, Southern African Development Community (SADC)
TBY talks to Dr. Stergomena L. Tax, Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), on regional economic development, boosting pan-continental free trade agreements, and improving security through mutual development.
read articleInterview
Susan Sikaneta, Ambassador, Zambia to Ethiopia & Permanent Representative to the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa
TBY talks to Susan Sikaneta, Ambassador of Zambia to Ethiopia & Permanent Representative to the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa, on championing peace across the continent, advancing women's rights, and promoting Pan-Africanism.
read articleInterview
Sebastian C. Kopulande, CEO, Zambian International Trade & Investment Centre (ZITIC)
TBY talks to Sebastian C. Kopulande, CEO of Zambian International Trade & Investment Centre (ZITIC), on taming austerity, stimulating sustainable growth, and creating the framework to support entrepreneurship
read articleFocus: Zambia Plus
Adding it All Up
On October 20, 2016, at the 2017 Budget Address, Finance Minister Felix Mutati launched the government's economic recovery program, christened "Zambia Plus." The program is designed to spur domestic productivity, through strengthening ties and collaborating with external donors and developers.
read articleReview: Banking
Macroeconomics Rule the Roost
In its ongoing efforts to diversify away from one principal commodity, copper, the government fosters the development, standardization, and efficacy of the private sector. In doing so the systematic support of the financial universe, especially banks, is vital, as is the goal of financial inclusion.
read articleFocus: SME Growth
IMF support program
An IMF support program stands to provide Zambia with some much-needed discipline on its expenditure and operational efficiencies; however, many caution the need for Zambia to determine what it wants to achieve and how the program will benefit the country.
read articleInterview
Christabel M. Banda, Executive Director, Insurers Association of Zambia (IAZ)
TBY talks to Christabel M. Banda, Executive Director of Insurers Association of Zambia (IAZ), on the evolution of the local insurance landscape, raising awareness, and tackling challenges in the sector.
read articleFocus: Solar
Sunny Side Up
As power demand continues to rise and power production continues to fall behind, it's the same old story for Zambia, still wrestling with an ongoing energy crisis. Public- and private-sector drives are seeking to mitigate this deficit by activating the country's solar industry.
read articleInterview
Margaret K. Chalwe-Mudenda, Director General, Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA)
TBY talks to Margaret K. Chalwe-Mudenda, Director General of Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), on new projects, the ZNDC, and expectations for the year ahead.
read articleInterview
Hon. Dora Siliya, Minister, Agriculture
TBY talks to Hon. Dora Siliya, Minister of Agriculture, on the investments being made in agriculture to enable agricultural households, diversifying Zambia's basket of produce, and making international markets more accessible for local producers.
read articleInterview
Hon. Charles R. Banda, Minister, Tourism and Arts
TBY talks to Hon. Charles R. Banda, Minister of Tourism and Arts, on the wealth of tourism destinations within Zambia, efforts to bring more visitors to the country, and what the Tourism Development Fund will contribute to developments.
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