CARICOM and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariats recently concluded three days of fruitful discussions on issues of common interest to the two organisations and the regions they serve, the CARICOM secretariat said in a release.
SADC’s visit to the CARICOM Secretariat was also aimed at exploring and exchanging ideas on the processes of regional cooperation and integration in the two regions, particularly experiences accrued from procedures framework and the management of contribution agreements with international development partners.
SADC’s delegation comprised Deputy Executive Secretary, Eng. João Samuel Caholo; Director Policy, Planning and Resource Mobilisation, Dr Angelo Mondlane; Director Budget and Finance, Clement Kanyama; Director Human Resources and Administration, Russell S. Mufaya; and Capacity Building for Regional Integration Coordinator, Kalinde Chindebvu.
Specifically, Caholo said that the team was interested in learning from the CARICOM Secretariat’s experiences in preparing for institutional assessments for the European Union’s development contributions to the region.
According to the release, one of the main outcomes of the discourse was the signing of an Aide Memoire in which SADC extended an invitation for Caricom Secretary General (ag) Lolita Applewhaite to visit its secretariat in the near future to explore possibilities of expanding and strengthening the already existing relationship, through formal institutional cooperation frameworks.
Caholo noted that one of the overarching conclusions of the discussion was that the two organisations shared similar values and visions.
Accordingly, he said, they faced similar challenges in trying to harmonise development programmes in relation to geographic locations of their respective member states – some of which were island states and others continental.
The organisation of the private sector, civil society and the wider society to participate in regional integration processes and in common development agendas posed another challenge which was common to SADC and CARICOM.
Caholo also pointed to the issue of mobilizing domestic resources to fund development programmes as another challenge the two organisations faced.
Against this backdrop, he said a process was in train within the Southern African organisation for the establishment of a regional development fund.
