Vision 2050 of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), just like the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030 (RISDP), is also expressed in three pillars.
Pillar I of Vision 2050 is on Industrial Development and Market Integration, Pillar II is on Infrastructure Development in Support of Regional Integration, and Pillar III is in support Social and Human Capital Development. All the three pillars are built on a firm foundation of Peace, Security, and Good Governance.
In order to realise Vision 2050, SADC aspires to create a conducive environment to foster regional cooperation and integration and uphold free movement of goods, labour, capital, and services. To that effect, political stability, good governance, peace, and security shall be the cornerstone of national and regional undertakings.
SADC seeks to accelerate the mobilisation of resources from within the Community and external sources. The implementation of SADC policies and programmes does, and will, rely heavily on the successful mobilisation of resources.
To improve sustainability, mechanisms will be put in place to shift away from a previous reliance on international cooperating partners towards a more diversified approach that is better integrated and complementary. To this end, a robust strategy will be developed to fill the funding gulf, which is needed to realise the aspirations under the Vision 2050 pillars.
The Region is moving to improve implementation of its policies and programmes through the effective realisation of roles and responsibilities undertaken by various actors and entities through institutional reforms. These reforms will take place at the operational level.
The SADC Secretariat at the regional level, and SADC National Committees and National Contact Points at the national level, will be targeted for support and reform to ensure that they are adequately capacitated to perform their roles in the regional integration agenda implementation architecture. The development of strong relationships across the different levels will be prioritised to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of implementation.
SADC is strengthening compliance by Member States through the implementation of effective compliance monitoring and assurance mechanisms to track progress in implementation of programmes and compliance with its protocols and legal instruments. A compliance mechanism will be developed for the Region to leverages from the African Peer Review Mechanism and other regional economic communities' compliance mechanisms in Africa and across the globe.
The success of the mechanism relies on the establishment of a strong coordinating body
(such as the SADC Secretariat) and the cooperation of Member States. Such a mechanism will also augment existing mechanisms that seek to monitor and evaluate ongoing initiatives in the Region, for instance, the SADC Macroeconomic Convergence and Surveillance Mechanism.
Regular review and evaluation of the RISDP 2020–2030 will take place, which will enable the effective and authentic application of variable geometry and facilitate opportunities for active learning and leapfrogging by leveraging relevant and emerging technologies.
The Region is working on magnifying visibility and awareness as a means to trigger and maintain the interest, awareness, and participation of SADC citizens in driving the regional integration agenda.
In coming up with Vision 2050, SADC leaders recalled the long-term SADC Vision of a regional community that has a common future and that will ensure socio-economic well-being, improvement of standards of living and quality of life, freedom and social justice, and peace and security for the people of Southern Africa, as enshrined in the SADC Treaty.
It is envisaged that by 2050, SADC will be a peaceful, inclusive, competitive, middle- to high-income industrialised Region where all citizens enjoy sustainable economic well-being, justice and freedom.
The Region has committed to upholding its core principles of sovereign equality of all Member States; solidarity, peace and security; human rights, democracy and the rule of law; equity, balance and mutual
benefit; and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
There is a resolve to consolidate SADC moving towards 2050 by leveraging areas of excellence and implementing priorities to achieve sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development, through good governance and durable peace and security in the Region as well as the removal of all barriers to deeper integration; and guided by the purposes and principles of the SADC Treaty and Agenda.
The SADC Vision 2050 is complementary to the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the African Union's (AU) Agenda 2063 and its flagship projects and continental frameworks.
