BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE – In the 49th meeting of the SACU Council of Ministers meeting, Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg said as SACU they were accelerating the implementation of the Strategic Plan.
In the currently ongoing closed session meeting the Minister said while the plan outlines critical initiatives that were agreed on to be implemented over the five-year period, but the real test and success will only be realised if they implement it.
“This Strategic Plan provides SACU with a unique opportunity to fast-track industrialization and broaden our economies post the COVID-19 pandemic which will provide employment opportunities for our citizens. It is therefore important that we dedicate our time and resources to ensure its successful implementation,” he said.
“Our Meeting is preceding the 8th Summit of the SACU Heads of State or Government which will be held on June 29, 2023. I hope we will report substantial progress to the Summit on the implementation of the projects/programmes emanating from the Strategic Plan. Indeed, we expect the updates to cover the directive from the 7th Summit, last year,” he added.
He further mentioned that they seek to prioritise fertilisers, agro-chemicals and seed production as part of the Agro-processing in view of the food security challenges the region is facing.
Neal said they were looking forward to the update on the implementation of the Strategic Plan since this is one of the critical initiatives that the Council must ensure that this is a success.
One may recall that as the Council they last met in June 2022 and subsequent meetings could not take place due to the unavailability of some Members of the Council.
It was therefore important that as the Council we remain available to engage on issues that relate to SACU, especially for meetings to provide strategic guidance.
“Finally, we will also consider the Report of the Commission, which contains a progress report on the Implementation of the SACU Strategic Plan, the Executive Secretary’s Report, Trade and Finance related matters and a review of the Institutional Interim Arrangement.”
“The Council will consider and clear all relevant documents for the Summit including our Report to the Summit and the draft Communiqué. We will conclude our meeting with a closed session where we will consider HR-related matters concerning the Secretariat,” he said.
Worth mentioning is that You may be aware that the tenure for Eswatini as Chair of SACU Institutions will be coming to an end on July 24, 2023.
In this regard, Neal on behalf of the Government of Eswatini expressed their appreciation to Honourable Ministers, for their support during his tenure as the Chairperson of Council and wished the incoming Chair, the Kingdom of Lesotho great success.
