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SADC summit closes with commitment to integration
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) closed its two-day summit here on Friday, with leaders of the 14 member countries reaffirming their commitment to the regional integration agenda.
Pakalitha Mosisili, Lesotho prime minister and new chairman of SADC, said that to meet the regional integration goals required enhanced and sustained political will and commitment.
"We must be prepared to surrender a little more of our national sovereignty over domestic policy, so as to pool our regional sovereignty together in pursuit of larger and longer term goals and benefits to all member countries," said Mosisili at the closing ceremony.
Integration had its obvious costs, said the bloc's new chairman, "but I can assure you, the cost of not integrating is far higher." Mosisili said that leaders of the community would commit themselves to move towards meeting challenges that face the region, of which HIV/AIDS pandemic and the alleviation if not eradication of poverty were the uppermost.
Deputy Chairman of SADC and Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa said also at the ceremony that facing daunting challenges, member countries must focus on the implementation of various protocols the bloc had approved for social and economic development. Next year's summit will be held in Zambia.
Leaders of the 14 member countries held closed-door sessions on Thursday and Friday, deliberating on a number of regional development issues, with several draft agreements approved. SADC is a major regional body in Africa with a total population of over 230 million that accounts for almost one third of the African continent.
Its members are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Enditem
South African investors are comming to Madagascar
The Consul General of Madagascar in Cape Town, Mr Bary Rafatrolaza has led a delegation of two South African businessmen in Antananarivo to seek opportunity of business enterprise in Madagascar.Mr. Sean Cleary CEO of the Meridian Group and Mr. Eugene Clark from Interland Group have met the Malagasy Minister of Trade, Industry and Private sector, Mr. Rafanomezantsoa Roger Marie at his office at Ambodihahy, the 1er and 2nd August 2006.
The two South African businessmen are on visit to explore different sectors such infrastructures, environment, mines, tourism (Hotel, catering...), Food industry, fishing industry, banking and finances where they can invest to uplift the Malagasy economy.
In the near future, they will send a team of experts in each field to assess the need for a good achievement of those ventures. Probabilities to team up with Malagasy partners were discussed with the Minister.
The Minister congratulate them for their choice to do business in Madagascar when the Government is seeking for foreigners investors to roll out the Madagascar Action Plan (MAP) and the newly integration of Madagascar in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) which South Africa belongs too.
Source: Madagascar Tribune - 07/08/06
"Madagascar Hopes to Use energy boom to help its citizens"
President Ravalomanana of Madagascar bets on discovery of oil deposit offshore to improve the live of 18 millions of his people who are living for less than 1 $ day in a country where life expectancy is 57 years.
International oil drilling company plan to drill offshore basins along Madagascar coasts, which may hold 5 billion barrels of oils. ".. the sector could contribute 15 percent of GDP within five years" says Hugues Rajaonson, the secretary-general of the energy and mines ministry.
The government is auctioning oil drilling rights. Until now, Malagasy government has awarded prospecting licences to nine companies, and plans to auction 143 more offshore permits by November. Madagascar expects to charge a 30 % tax on oil profits to invest in roads, electricity and education.
But according to Prega Ramsamy, Ravalomanana's economic adviser " The government isn't pinning all its hopes for economic revival on finding oil and intends to expand manufacturing, mining and agriculture". " It also plans to triple tourist numbers to more than 600 000 by 2012 by promoting the island's sandy beaches, rain forest and native lemurs, chameleons and birds" Adds Prega Ramsamy
" This is the first government they've had for a long time that has really seen growth as a priority", concludes James Bond, the World Bank's country director for Madagascar.
Source: Business Report. P.9 19th july 2006 - Briefing from Mike Cohen's
