1. Home
  2. Africa
  3. Southern Africa

Democracy fosters growth, says minister

South African Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo said on Thursday the process of democratisation in his country had contributed to the transformation of economic development in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

In an address to parliament, Nzo said: “South Africa, as current Chair of SADC, is committed to strengthening the organization so that it can carry out its mandate in the interest and for the benefit of the region and its people.”

Nzo said SADC had achieved considerable success on the path to regional integration which was essential for the emergence of a regional market. He added member states had achieved different degrees of success in adopting market-orientated economic policies, which had contributed to long-term sustainable development and to an increase in trade amongst the SADC states.

“Substantial investments have been made in the region’s telecommunications, railways, ports and road transport systems, while optimal transformation of spatial development corridors such as Maputo, Beira, Benguela, Trans-Kalahari and Tazara corridors can generate sustainable economic growth in the present underdeveloped areas of the region,” Nzo said.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join