Harare - The effective and prosperous integration of the southern region of the continent depends on the ease of movement of people and goods, the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço admitted said Saturday.
“By facilitating the movement of people across our borders, we can promote economic growth, social development and cultural exchange between Member States”, the President said during his speech at the 44th SADC Summit, which took place in Harare , Zimbabwe.
He is aware of this fact and said he noticed that, last year, important efforts continued to be made to expand facilities for the movement of people, goods and services throughout the region.
In this way, he said, some Member States have instituted visa exemptions among themselves, while others have completely abolished the visa requirement for all SADC Member States.
For João Lourenço, it is encouraging to see that everyone is taking very concrete steps in eliminating barriers and restrictions in the movement of people and goods in the region, highlighting the collaboration that is taking place between all SADC Member States, in relation to creation of One-Stop Border Posts (PFPU), with the aim of rationalizing and facilitating mobility between us.
He pointed out that several posts of this type were created in locations located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, between Botswana and Zambia, between Malawi and Zambia and between Tanzania and Zambia, which, as a whole, helps to create conditions to facilitate the movement of people, intra-regional trade and other important factors for development, highlighting the cost of transport in the area.
Also part of this effort, he continued, is the Lobito Corridor, an important Angolan infrastructure that will allow the connection of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Zambia to the Atlantic Ocean, through which raw materials, goods and services will flow. , in more favorable and more competitive economic conditions.
He highlighted that this facility will create dynamics that will help stimulate economic growth, not only in the three Member States directly linked to it, but also in the remaining countries that make up SADC.
He added that to the development factors he referred to, they emphasize the issue of tourism, which registered a very significant slowdown during the COVID-19 period, but which has since registered a significant increase, having recovered its place as one of the most important contributing sectors to the region’s GDP and economic growth.
The meeting was marked by the transfer of the SADC Presidency to the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, for the next 12 months.
The 44th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) kicked off on Saturday in Harare, with praise from the organization's executive secretary for Angola's efforts towards pacification and economic development in the region.
The opening session also had an inaugural speech by the President of Namibia, Nangolo Mbumba, in compliance with the SADC tradition that reserves a place on the list of interventions at each summit for the President of the Republic who participates in the event for the first time since his arrival to power. IZ/ART/DOJ
