7th SADC Industrialisation Week 2024
The Cooperation for Enhancement of SADC Regional Economic Integration (CESARE) participated in the Southern African Community Industrialisation Week hosted in Harare, Zimbabwe from 28 July to 2 August.
The theme of the 7th SADC Industrialisation Week (SIW) was “Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development towards an Industrialised SADC” and was attended by over 3500 delegates from the public sector, business leaders, development finance institutions, national and regional business associations, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), academia, researchers and development organisations, including the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The event was hosted by the Government of Zimbabwe and His Excellency Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Incoming Chairperson of SADC officially opened the 7th annual SADC Industrialisation Week (SIW) at Harare International Convention Centre. The President expressed the importance of the SIW in advancing the SADC Industrialisation Agenda, which “challenges all of us: governments, industry and development partners to achive a rapid socio-economic development and an improved quality of life in our countries and the region, leaving no one and no place behind”.
The SADC Secretariat was represented at the event by the Executive Secretary, H.E. Mr. Elias Magosi and the Deputy Executive Secretary, Ms. Angele Makombo N'tumba, as well as several senior officials, including Directors. H.E. Mr. Elias M. Magosi, SADC Executive Secretary, emphasised that the SIW provides a platform for stakeholders to share experiences in advancing industrialisation in the region. He noted that this year's theme highlights the critical role of innovation in driving sustainable economic growth, as outlined in the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030 and the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap 2015-2063, adding that the event is a platform to take stock of the achievements and look at challenges, business opportunities, value chain promotion, start-ups and SMEs, standards and certification, so that no product leaves the region without value addition.
The CESARE Programme collaborated with the SADC Secretariat and the SADC Business Council (BC) on the programme for the event. The Programme was engaged in a “Entrepreneurship Dialogue among Youth and Women in the SADC Region”, which focused on challenges and opportunities for young people and women to become entrepreneurs and drive innovation, and thus, sustainable economic growth in the region. Furthermore, CESARE also provided insights into the “Future of Trade in Services in the SADC Region”, which presented the new long-term strategy for regional trade in services in the SADC region and its implications for the strengthening business partnerships and trade within the region. In addition, the CESARE Programme brought together the members of the SADC BC to discuss a way forward to strengthen the capacity of the institution and consequently of the private sector in the region. Finally, CESARE, in collaboration with the SADC Secretariat, facilitated the SADC Quality Award Session 2024, which took place alongside the SIW on 1 August, recognising organisations and individuals that contribute to the advancement of quality in the SADC region.
The Cooperation for Enhancement of SADC Regional Economic Integration (CESARE) Programme is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the European Union, managed by the SADC Secretariat and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.