Angola chair at SADC focused on consolidating basis for regional integration

Maputo, Maputo - The chairmanship of Angola at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was embodied in consolidating the foundations of regional integration and development of infrastructure, facilitation of trade and economic liberalization, said Friday in Maputo, the vice president. Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 32nd Summit of Heads of State and Government of SADC, representing the President of the Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos, who is involved in "intense political activity" in the context of general elections set for August 31. He stated that during the Angolan presidency the intervention was focused primarily on strengthening the institutional capacity of the SADC Secretariat, in the process of regional economic integration, with the consequent revision of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) and the financing of the organization. He emphasized that in the context of strengthening the institutional capacity of the Secretariat, were completed on the development policies, planning, monitoring and evaluation policy and strategic missions of SADC, as well as new proposals for the policy of recruitment, selection and appointment of cadres for the organization. The vice president said it was given particular importance to the review of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), and was already selected the consulting firm that will carry out the evaluation of the same until February 2013. He stressed that other priorities were given to the funding and development of infrastructure, seen as essential to the process of regional integration, and the problem of dependence on partners to finance the organization's budget. He referred to the holding of an extraordinary summit on economic issues between member countries of the region. Fernando da Piedade also referred to approval in January, in Luanda, of the master plan for development of infrastructure, which constitutes an important pillar of the regional integration process. He declared that the ministers of finance and investments from the countries of the organization has adopted the strategy of resource mobilization. He said it is the foundations for the operationalisation of the SADC Development Fund, a key financial instrument for the implementation of several important projects and programs of the organization. The vice president recalled that at the Extraordinary Summit of June 1, also in the Angolan capital, was given the agreement in principle to the concept paper of the "Vision 2050" (...). The document seeks to "draw a framework for addressing the dynamics and developments in regional, continental and global perspective to prevent and mitigate potential threats in order to safeguard the strategic objectives" regional.  He said that it was prominent during the term, the interaction of the Angolan President with counterparts in finding solutions that lead to solving the problems affecting our region.  He welcomed the three new Heads of State and Government, participating for the first time in this Summit, in particular, Joyce Banda, Malawi, and Michael Sata, Zambia, and Thomas Thabane, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho.  He directed further congratulations to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on her election as President of the African Union Commission, following an intense campaign led by the region.