The 17th Meeting of the Ministerial Task Force was held in Gaborone, Botswana on 6th July 2016. The meeting was chaired by the Honourable Vincent T. Seretse, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry of the Republic of Botswana.
In his opening remarks, the Chairperson reminded the Ministers that one of the key issues to be considered during the meeting was the consideration of the Draft Costed Action Plan for implementation of the SADC Industrialization Strategy and Roadmap. He noted the link between the adequate supply of water and energy and the success of the Industrialization Strategy and acknowledged the efforts of the SADC Chairperson, His Excellency, Lieutenant General Dr. Seretse Khama Ian Khama for convening the Joint Ministerial Workshop on Energy and Water which took place in June 2016. The workshop facilitated the exchange of ideas and the forging of practical and sustainable solutions to the energy and water challenges in the Region.
The meeting noted progress on the development of the Draft Costed Action Plan for implementation of the SADC Industrialization Strategy and Roadmap and referred it for further consultations at national level.
The meeting also considered the implementation of the Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan and noted that concerted efforts continue to be made with the roll out of infrastructure in the different sectors of Energy, Water, transport and ICT. The Task Force urged Member States to allocate adequate resources to ensure implementation of power projects within the planned milestones in order to eliminate the prevailing power deficit in the region. Member States were also urged to submit their projects to the various funding mechanisms for project preparation to ensure a pipeline of bankable regional projects .
