Realigning infrastructure with industrialisation: SADC assesses progress
The meeting, held in Johannesburg, South Africa in May, produced a list of regional infrastructure projects that can be implemented in the short to medium-term, which AfDB aims to implement in partnership with development finance institutions such as DBSA.
INFRASTRUCTURE is key to regional development and the programme is being reviewed and adjusted for closer alignment with plans to industrialise the region and the African continent. The importance of infrastructure as an enabler of industrialisation and trade is widely acknowledged in regional, continental and international policy instruments.
The Doha Development Agenda for example, as well as the United Nations Almaty Programme of Action and its successor programme, the Vienna Plan of Action that is targeted to support the special needs of landlocked developing countries, identifies infrastructure development and maintenance as one of six priority areas.
Several programmes and strategies are in place to improve infrastructure as an anchor for sustainable transformation, through enhanced trade competitiveness. These include the SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP), Revised SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2015-2020, Tripartite Trade and Transport Facilitation Programme, New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) ShortTerm Action Plan, and the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA). The historic adoption of the RIDMP in 2012 was informed by the decision of SADC member states that infrastructure development and maintenance is a priority for accelerated regional integration, economic development and trade.
Members states decided that the key barriers to trade and industrialisation could be addressed through the provision of seamless trans-boundary infrastructure for transport, power generation and transmission systems, regional telecommunications infrastructure, as well as river basin organisations, water supply and sanitation.
This placed integrated infrastructure development as a second priority in the context of the SADC regional integration process and its current plan, the Revised RISDP 2015-2020.
The central framework for implementing Priority B of the RISDP is underpinned by the infrastructure master plan, the RIDMP.
SADC has, therefore, acknowledged that regional infrastructure is a key enabler of the integration agenda as envisioned through the RISDP and the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap, among other strategic frameworks.
The success of these strategic frameworks requires regular assessment of progress with implementation.
The RIDMP was to be rolled out in phases of five years, with the first phase running from 2012-2017.
A SADC Extraordinary Summit in March 2017, held in Swaziland (now eSwatini), directed the SADC Secretariat to review the SADC Infrastructure Project Portfolio in the RIDMP to determine priorities to be focused at regional level in relation to national level in member states.
The secretariat was directed to work with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to develop the necessary instruments and frameworks such as infrastructure bonds, partial risk guarantees, insurance guarantees and partial credit guarantees for use in member states.
The secretariat was also directed to leverage the AfDB Industrialisation Strategy for Africa (2016-2025).
The strategy aims to develop the industrial sector and policy framework in Africa; strengthen intra-Africa trade and integrate Africa into regional and international value chains; and boost competitiveness and value creation in Africa by expanding the supply of business services to maximise impact on the performance of industries.
To achieve these goals, the AfDB strategy aims to strengthen five enablers for industrialisation.
These are supportive policy, legislative and institutional environment; conducive economic environment and infrastructure; access to capital; access to markets; and competitive talents, capabilities, and entrepreneurship.
The SADC Secretariat, with the support of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has engaged the economic development institute of the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC) to carry out an assessment of results achieved by the RIDMP Short Term Action Plan (STAP) 2012-2017.
The secretariat, in partnership with AfDB, DBSA, and NEPAD, organised a meeting of technical experts from member states to discuss the preparation of a priority list of infrastructure projects for the region. - SADC Today. Read full article on www.herald.co.zw