Luanda - Angola Foreign Affairs Minister, Téte António, on Tuesday, in Harare (Zimbabwe), highlighted the access to reliable energy sources as a fundamental factor to boost industrialization, increase productivity and create employment opportunities inside the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The head of Angolan diplomacy made the statement at the opening of the SADC Council of Ministers meeting, underlining that, despite the fundamental role of energy, the population with access to electricity at regional level was an average, 56% from 2019 to 2023, below the regional target of 85% by 2030.
Téte António noted that some Member States have achieved 100% access, while others are below 20% and that production capacity has not met demand since 2008, so much so that, in April 2024, only three Member States, namely Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania, had surpassed capacity.
The Angolan diplomat called for greater commitment to achieve the SADC Vision 2050, of a peaceful, inclusive and competitive, high-middle-income industrialized region, where all citizens enjoy sustainable economic well-being, justice and freedom.
Drought
Téte António spoke of the consequences of the El Niño phenomenon, which caused prolonged periods of drought and extremely high temperatures, affecting more than 61 million people in the region.
“Through our collective determination, unity and solidarity, we launched the regional humanitarian appeal of at least 5.5 billion US dollars with the support of our partners, which was officially launched by the SADC chairperson, João Lourenço, at the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government, held on May 20, 2024”, António said.
In this particular, he urged partners to continue supporting this cause to mitigate the devastating impact of this humanitarian crisis and above all, build a resilient region.
Peace and security situation
As regards to peace and security in the region, minister Téte António said the SADC remains relatively peaceful and stable, with no new intra-state conflicts or significant terrorist acts.
However, he highlighted that the security situation in Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique, and in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo was the main concern last year.
The minister highlighted the deployment of the SADC mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) to support the Government to restore peace and security in the east of the country, following the intensification of conflicts and instability caused by the resurgence of armed groups.
“Furthermore, our mission in Mozambique was officially closed on July 4 this year, following the deployment of the mission in July 2021 to support our Member State, Mozambique, in combating terrorism and violent extremism in the province of Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country”, the minister said.
Despite these events, the minister said security and stability in Mozambique and the entire SADC region remains unshakable, underscoring that peace, security and stability are the prerequisites for achieving the common objectives for a peaceful, integrated and prosperous region.
Youth
Téte António said the region is made up mostly of young people and that Angola hosted the SADC Youth Forum to provide the opportunity to contribute to the implementation of the motto of the body's 43rd Summit on the importance of human and financial capital for a sustainable industrialization in the region.
He highlighted that the Forum was attended by youth representatives from the respective Member States, including young business people and leaders.
The diplomat congratulated the young people for their active participation in the Forum and for expressing their willingness to play a fundamental role in the regional development agenda.
He urged Member States to take measures to ensure greater participation of young people in key governance and decision-making processes to enable them to play relevant and productive roles in the development of countries.
Gender equality
Regarding gender equality and women's empowerment, Téte António stressed that inclusive economic growth cannot be fully achieved without the inclusion and active participation of women.
He highlighted that within the scope of efforts made to implement the SADC protocol on gender and development, Member States have made progress in promoting equal opportunities for women in decision-making positions, increasing the representation of women in political leadership, access to financing and productive resources and the fight against gender-based discrimination and violence.
Although progress has been made, the minister said, women's representation in strategic decision-making positions is below 50%, meaning that they do not participate in key decision-making positions that affect the well-being and future of the region.
He called on Member States to remain committed and take measures to achieve the 50% target, while also adopting measures to address some of the challenges that women constantly face, namely the impact of conflicts, climate change and gender-based violence.
Téte António thanked the support of all SADC member countries for their commitment, work and efforts towards the functioning and development of the organization during Angola's mandate.FMA/ART/TED/AMP
