Monrovia, Liberia – The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Development Bank’s Regional Integration and Coordination Office (RDRI) jointly presented a historic public lecture titled “Can Africa Afford Not to Integrate?” on Tuesday, November 25, 2024, marking a turning point in the continent’s development conversation.
The African Development Bank’s Director of Regional Integration Coordination, Dr. Joy Kategekwa, gave the first in a planned series of lectures. She went over the origins of African unity, which were sparked by figures like Kwame Nkrumah, and how it changed from the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to the African Union (AU) today.
Africa’s fragmented markets, poor infrastructure, and excessive dependence on foreign trading partners are major challenges, according to Dr. Kategekwa, who gave a lecture at the Southern African Development Community Secretariat in Gaborone, Botswana, outlining the stark realities that demand immediate integration.
She emphasized that greater economic, political, and social integration is essential to Africa’s journey toward sustainable development. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a game-changer for resolving fragmentation and unleashing Africa’s economic potential, the RDRI Director emphasized.
She emphasized the significance of the AfCFTA by stating, “With 16 landlocked countries and 107 distinct borders, inefficiencies in trade and transportation cost Africa billions annually, impeding cross-border commerce and industrial growth.”
It promises to boost intra-African commerce by more than 50% and unites 54 nations into a $3 trillion market, making it the largest free trade area in the world. She emphasised that the AfCFTA may produce over 85 million jobs by 2035 and help 30 million people escape severe poverty by lowering trade obstacles and promoting competitiveness.
According to Dr. Joy Kategekwa, the Bank has invested more than $50 billion in the last eight years to finance transformative infrastructure projects like border posts, bridges, and transportation corridors.
She also recognized existing accomplishments like the Pan-African Payments and Settlement System (PAPSS), the Kazungula Bridge that connects Zambia and Botswana, and advancements in visa openness throughout the continent.
Dr. Kategekwa, however, cautioned that if integration efforts are not accelerated, Africa runs the risk of sustaining poverty, inequality, and susceptibility to outside shocks.
She added that the Bank also invests a lot of money in industrialization and agriculture, spearheading programs like Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones that aim to make Africa’s agricultural sector a $1 trillion market by 2030.
To attain complete integration, Dr. Kategekwa recommended persistent political will, calculated investments, and teamwork. highlighting the necessity of improving policy clarity, removing non-tariff obstacles, and addressing infrastructural gaps.
Dr. Judith Kateera, the Deputy Executive Secretary-Corporate Affairs for the Southern African Development Community (SADC), gave the introductory comments before Dr. Joy Kategekwa’s presentation. She highlighted the rising significance of regional collaboration and integration as vital instruments for Africa’s development.
She stated that in order to successfully integrate the continent into the global economy and capitalize on the advantages of globalization, efforts are now crucial. “The case for cooperation and integration has become stronger, not weaker.”
Dr. Kateera also emphasized the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) founding vision, which calls for a “common future” for all Southern Africans that is marked by social fairness, economic development, higher living standards, and peace and security.
In order to promote sustainable development throughout the area, she reiterated the necessity of upholding this vision and for Africans to recommit themselves to the principles espoused by the continent’s founding fathers:
“Together, we can facilitate Africa’s integration, unity, and shared values of prosperity and lasting peace for all.”
