Sadc says lake dispute not on agenda
The forthcoming summit of Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) Heads of State and Government will not discuss anything on the ongoing border dispute between Malawi and Tanzania, officials have said.
Briefing journalists in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, Sadc executive secretary Tomaz Augusto Salomao said the regional body will wait for the committee of Sadc’s former heads of State and government to conclude their mediation efforts on the matter to determine the way forward.
He said: “That item [the border dispute] is well taken care of by that committee. As for now, we rely on that committee which will at an appropriate time submit a report on the issue.
“The issue is not on the agenda of this summit unless the President [Joyce Banda] herself would want to brief her colleagues on that specific item. We hope an amicable solution will be found to settle the matter.”
On the controversial mineral resource development in the region, he said the Sadc region possesses about 51 percent of all mineral resources in Africa.
He said it was, therefore, crucial for the region’s countries to develop capacity for proper management of the minerals and negotiation of mining contracts.
“The bottom line is that we need to build capacity at national level based on the best practices so that, above all, when we negotiate contracts or anything, we get the maximum benefits,” said Salomao.
He said one of the challenges hindering regional integration and Free Trade Area (FTA) efforts within Sadc is existence of inconsistent procedures in border posts within the region, adding there is need for countries to enhance their industrialisation efforts.
He said Madagascar remains suspended from Sadc until when the country returns to constitutional normalcy, saying there are joint efforts being made by Sadc, African Union and United Nations to help restore order and hold appropriate elections in that country.
Chairperson of the Sadc standing committee of senior officials, George Mkondiwa, who is also principal secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said their meeting will be followed by the meeting of the Council of Ministers in the Sadc region before the summit of the Heads of State and Government.
