19 Aug 2018

The regional bloc has learnt on August 17 that in pursuit of the SADC integration agenda, Botswana has undertaken several key infrastructure projects that have a regional dimension.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi noted during his maiden speech at the 38^th SADC summit in Windhoek, Namibia that projects included, among others, the construction of Kazungula Bridge in collaboration with the republic of Zambia.

The bridge will connect Botswana to the northern part of the SADC region. 

He also pointed out the Nata-Pandamatenga and the Palapye-Martins Drift roads connecting Botswana to South Africa.

“Other future projects include the expansion of Morupule Power Plant as well as Mosetse-Kazungula railway line for the transportation of goods to the northern part of the SADC region,” he told member states.

Additionally, President Masisi noted that work was in progress to develop value chains for leather, soya beans, aquaculture, iron and steel, cooper, cement, antiretroviral drugs, Malaria medicines and bed nets as well as the profiling of the regional agro-processing sector.

“These, I must say are steps in the right direction towards the realisation of our goal of regional economic transformation, which will facilitate the process of our industrialisation,” he said.

 He noted that the implementation of the SADC industrialisation strategy and roadmap (2015-2063) would greatly transform regional bloc economies to be productive, efficient, diversified and competitive.

President Masisi mentioned as enablers for regional integration, well developed financial systems, adequate human capital, supporting infrastructure and the necessary finances, among other things.

He said the fact that the regional bloc was grappling with financial constraints and impediments to resource mobilisation calls for the strengthening of collaboration with both regional and global development financing institutions, to fast-track infrastructure development within SADC.

He said this taking into cognizance the fact that efforts to develop a resource mobilisation framework as well as other initiatives such as the creation of a fund to bridge the resource gap were already in place. ENDS