• SADC evolving in the next Ten Years with the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan
• We must make sure that those three areas which is pharmaceuticals, Agro-processing and Mineral beneficiation actually take fruition.
• Increased trade between countries, removal of non-tariff barriers from this region completely, free movements of goods, services.

Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) says Economic Development, regional integration, peace and security of the region are key tenets for the community.

SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi in an exclusive interview with the secretariat Communication and Public Relations Unity noted the tenets are what the fore fathers for SADC wanted to achieve when they concepted the Organisation.

Mr. Magosi said in efforts to achieve ideals of the forefathers, SADC now has a strategy in place, Vision 2050 that advocates for emancipation of the people within the region from poverty to prosperity that ensures people are safe, economically successful, happy and free to move around the region.

Just after the region celebrated its 40th Anniversary, Elisa Magosi was appointed as Executive Secretary for SADC, and this is how he sees SADC evolving in the next Ten Years with the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 in place.

“At the end of the ten year period I should see a vast move towards regional integration, we have put the pillars in place, “with the strategies, policies and protocols available.

“Increased trade between countries, removal of non-tariff barriers from this region completely, free movements of goods, services, people like you and I tourists, students everybody must be moving around, movement of capital that shows that indeed there is that regional integration and there is Trade going on,” he said.

The SADC executive Secretary says with Industrialisation, the region has picked on three areas it wants to focus on which are pharmaceuticals, Agro processing and Mineral Beneficiation.

“Industrialisation means really industries are actually developing manufactured products instead of exporting them in raw form. So we must make sure that those three areas which is pharmaceuticals, Agro processing and Mineral beneficiation actually take fruition,” The executive secretary stated.

He said the SADC region is endowed with mineral wealth however indicating that it has been exporting them in raw forms, emphasizing on the aspect of closing gaps in all the value chains.

Mr. Magosi further noted peaceful political stability naturally give a rise to peace and security in the region.

“It has been a very peaceful region, I think it has been an envy of many other regions,” he said.

The Executive secretary had since stated that for the secretariat and everyone else in the region, it is important to feel connected to creating what has been described using technology and available systems to see they are achieved.