SADC officials and social partners begin four-day meeting

WINDHOEK, MAR 4 – Regional officials and social partners met today at the SADC ELS Tripartite Meeting of Senior Officials and Social Partners ahead of the SADC Meeting of Ministers for Employment and Labour and Social Partners.

The meeting was divided in three components namely: Strategic Policy Dialogue; Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting; and Continental and International Commitment components.

“This component is critical to the Region as it is here that existing programmes on pro-employment, socio-economic policies, budgeting and labour migration are scrutinized and realigned to meet the Region’s common objectives for inclusive economic growth and development,” said labour, industrial relations and employment creation minister Tommy Nambahu, with regard to Strategic Policy Dialogue.

He explained that issues of labour migration had become more prominent and could not afford to be missed by the region as it was inter-linked with economic growth and social development.

Turning to Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting, Nambahu said it was the hallmark of any success in any human endeavour, adding that in order for the Region to move forward in unison, it needed to pan its development agenda, monitor it at every stage and evaluate progress or none of it thereof.

Said Nambahu: “As the SADC family, this component offers an opportunity to compare and determine progress made since last meeting vis-a-vis other Regional Economic Communities (RECs) on the Continent.”

He said protection of workers and citizens should always be placed at the centre of socio-economic, labour and investment policies instead of trade and business only.

“This meeting therefore, should be thorough and objective on this topic. It is reported that there is a Matrix that provides clear information on status of the Region. Once this has been done, a report that informs the Ministers and Social Partners forms the basis on which firm decisions or recommendations on the Programmes that the sector has set for itself are anchored.”

With regard to Continental and International Commitment components, Nambahu said SADC was an important player on both Continental and Global stages, hence SADCs role should always be guided by its principles of Regional Integration informed by inclusive socio-economic growth and development balanced on the AU Agenda 2063.

“All these are achieveable in close collaboration with genuine technical partners such as the ILO and OIM. To realise full growth potential for SADC and Africa as a whole, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) is the appropriate vehicle for the future at this point and time. This grand Framework should be driven by governments and their employers and employees for the common good of Africa,” he said.

The Meeting is scheduled to run from 4 March to 8 March at NIPAM in Windhoek. – musa@namibiadailynews.info