Gaborone - Southern African leaders received a much-needed injection of urgency on Thursday when Madagascan President - and successful entrepreneur - Marc Ravalomanana joined the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Three years after experiencing a bloody power struggle between Ravalomanana and the incumbent president Didier Ratsiraka, the Indian Ocean island state of 16 million was permitted to become SADC's 14th member state at its summit.
Along with Rwanda, Madagascar had been awarded candidate membership last year. Its application was confirmed on Thursday while Rwanda's was rejected for failing to meet all membership qualifications.
Taking the podium at the Gaborone International Conference Centre on Thursday, Ravalomanana quickly displayed the energy and drive which have made him such a successful dairy products entrepreneur.
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| 'Process of consolidation of democracy and good governance' |
Suggesting that the region improve its marketing and create an international SADC label, he called on SADC to focus on agriculture and businesses relevant to the rural world, with products meeting requirements of the industrialised markets.
"I want to get things done," he said.
New SADC chairperson, Botswana's President Festus Mogae had earlier lamented the slow pace of implementing the protocols which are supposed to bring SADC states together into an integrated regional market.
His answer: yet another committee; a "Protocol Implementation Monitoring Mechanism."
As the summit drew to a close on Thursday, leaders agreed to the controversial protocol on Facilitation of Free Movement of People that will allow SADC citizens to move freely across borders, seek temporary or permanent residence in another country and work there.
South Africa was among a group of four countries to sign the protocol, along with Namibia, Mozambique and Lesotho. But it was unclear how quickly the protocol's far-reaching measures would be implemented, as concerns were expressed that the protocol would free most of the SADC labour force to migrate to South Africa.
The summit commended Zimbabwe among others, for holding elections this year, thus contributing towards SADC's "process of consolidation of democracy and good governance".
The region will now establish an SADC Electoral Advisory Council to advise electoral commissions of member states on how to hold polls which conform to SADC's electoral guidelines. The leaders also endorsed the African Union's policy of gender parity.
- This article was originally published on page 4 of Daily News on August 19, 2005
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