Moses Magadza

By Moses Magadza

Windhoek, Namibia – The Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) and the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) have concluded a joint meeting to discuss steps leading to a signing a Grant Agreement to implement a new project titled “Enhancing Accountability and Citizen Participation in Regional Integration through Regional Parliament.”

The three-year initiative, backed by €1.4 million in funding from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the European Union (EU), and the German Federal Government aims to bolster democratic governance, promote gender equality, and strengthen regional integration across SADC member states.

Speaking after the two-day meeting held on January 30-31 in Windhoek, Mr. Sheuneni Kurasha, Manager of the Programme on Democracy, Governance & Human Rights at SADC PF, said the project emanates from a previous one that the SADC PF implemented from 2019 to 2023, titled, “Strengthening Parliamentary Capacity in the Southern African Development Community, 2019–2022.” 

He emphasised that the project seeks to build on the momentum of the previous one.

“This time, the cooperation centres on enhancing accountability and citizen participation in regional integration,” he said in an interview.

The project will focus on three key outputs: enhancing the SADC PF’s internal capacity to implement its strategic plan (2024–2028), supporting the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) (2020–2030) priorities in SADC member states, and developing a Model Law on Constitutionalism and the Law.

A significant gender component will focus on promoting gender equality and empowering women in political and decision-making roles within the region.

Kurasha said: “This project is a vote of confidence in what we are doing as SADC PF. It demonstrates that our partners see value in our work, particularly as we implement our new strategic plan.

“Democracy means nothing if it does not speak to the day-to-day issues that ordinary people face. This project is the means for us to actualise that practicality for the citizens of the SADC region.”

Mr. Robson Chakwana, the Programme Manager at GIZ, echoed these sentiments, and said the project had potential to strengthen the Forum’s capacity and advance regional integration goals.

“We see this as an opportunity to kick off implementation of this project. We were able to share understanding of what is in the project and develop modalities on how best implementation can be meaningful for both of our institutions,” Chakwana said.

He stressed the role of the SADC PF in achieving the SADC region’s integration agenda.

“Strengthening regional integration is a SADC programme. It entails working with SADC member states to build implementation capacity, especially at the national coordinating structures level.

“This funding represents a significant milestone that will undoubtedly strengthen the SADC PF’s organisational capacities to implement its Strategic Plan 2024–2028,” he added.

He also highlighted the importance of gender equality within the project framework.

“The project will support our efforts to mainstream RISDP 2020–2030 priorities in SADC member states and enhance the Forum’s capacity to promote gender equality and empower women in political decision-making within the region,” he stated.

The meeting in Windhoek allowed both institutions to align their objectives and finalise the groundwork for the upcoming Grant Agreement. With the signing of the funding agreement imminent, both the SADC PF and GIZ expressed optimism about the transformative potential of the project over the next three years.

The Secretary General of the SADC PF, Ms. Boemo Sekgoma, welcomed the new collaboration with ADA, the EU, and the German Federal Government through GIZ, lauding the partnership as a significant step towards expanding the Forum’s regional “footprint” and strengthening democratic governance.

In an interview after the joint planning meeting, Sekgoma underscored the importance of the partnership in enhancing the SADC PF’s ability to implement impactful programmes across the SADC region. 

“We welcome this collaboration with the Austrian Development Agency and, by extension, the Austrian Government, the EU and German Federal Government,” she stated. 

“We applaud this partnership, which has also been extended to GIZ. We are cognizant of the fact that with this partnership, the footprint of the SADC PF will grow bigger.”

Sekgoma said the Forum would work closely with the SADC Secretariat and other partners to ensure the successful implementation of various initiatives. She reiterated the Forum’s commitment to promoting representative and participatory democracy by engaging non-state actors in its efforts. 

She also expressed enthusiasm for deepening relationships with European government and organisations, particularly those focused on gender equality, democratisation, and climate action. 

“We look forward to strengthening our partnership with European partners such as IDEA and others that are working in the areas of gender equality, democratisation, peace and security, as well as areas linked to natural resources such as climate action,” she said.

Sekgoma hoped that the partnership would enhance capacity development and oversight of government programmes. 

“We believe that with this partnership, capacity development and oversight of government programmes will become a reality, and citizens will have an opportunity to closely engage with their elected representatives,” she stated.

The Secretary General underlined the importance of ensuring the project is owned by parliaments and citizens within the region. 

“We are looking forward to building the pillars around this project so that it is owned by parliaments and the citizens of our region while building stronger linkages with our cooperating partners,” she concluded.

• Moses Magadza is the Media and Communications Manager at SADC PF.