SADC Summit Approves SADC Parliament

17/08/2022, Kinshasa

The 42nd  Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held in Kinshasa,DRC has approved the agreement to transform the SADC Parliamentary Forum into the SADC Parliament.

According to the communique of 17th Augost 2022, the Summit approved and signed the agreement to amend the SADC Treaty on transformation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a SADC Parliament.

This follows the decision at the Summit in Dar es salaam in August 2019 where heads of states directed the SADC Secretariat in collaboration with the Parliamentary Forum Secretariat to develop the model that the proposed SADC Parliament would assume, in terms of mandate, powers and functions; and to develop a Roadmap towards the transformation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a SADC Parliament.

According to farmers under ESAFF network, the new development will help the region to enhance accountability and oversight at the regional level while ensuring laws are enacted to support SADC integration.

Ms. Irene Ngao a policy and advocacy officer says, SADC has put in place an number of protocols however is falling short in implementations. She adds that; fully legislative body in SADC will help to ensure member states abide on what is agreed by member states.

The Summit endorsed a theme of the 42nd SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, titled “Promoting Industrialization through, Agro-Processing, Mineral Beneficiation, and Regional Value Chains for Inclusive and Resilient Economic Growth’’

According to SADC, the theme takes into account the current operating environment in the Region and the urgent need to enhance the roll out of SADC industrialization and market integration programmes as contained in the RISDP (2020-2030).