The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Release
4th July 2012
SADC Ministers responsible for infrastructure approved USD 358 billion SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan, RIDMP (2013-2027) during its meeting on the 28th June, in Luanda, Angola. The master plan which will be implemented in 3 phases also includes a programme specifically targeting the needs of the oceanic states, namely Seychelles and Mauritius. Seychelles was instrumental in obtaining a decision by the SADC ministers with regards to infrastructure projects which address the specific needs of oceanic states in areas of energy, transport, tourism, ICT, meteorology and water.
The RIDMP would be the basis for SADC’s future cooperation on regional infrastructure development, joint planning, resource mobilization, cooperation with International Cooperation and Development Partners, the Private Sector investors and other development agencies. Investing in Infrastructure is paramount to Economic Integration of the SADC Region, boosting trade and further enhances political cooperation. SADC Ministers also agreed to convene a SADC Infrastructure Investment Summit during the first quarter of 2013 with the aim of mobilizing the necessary resources to implement this plan.
The Minister for Environment and Energy, Dr. Rolph Payet, headed the Seychelles delegation at this meeting, and was accompanied by the Director of Development and Regional Integration, Mr Kenneth Racombo, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Payet reiterated in his statement to the meeting that ‘with only 87000 inhabitants, Seychelles encounters numerous Sustainable development challenges; limited resources, remoteness, vulnerability to external shocks, excessive dependence on International Trade and fragile environments to name a few impact negatively on our economic development; and this further impose numerous challenges in delivering on our regional integration commitments and our economic reform programme.
Infrastructural projects are paramount for our development; one cannot underscore the importance and the link of regional projects in promoting integration. High communication, energy and transportation costs, disproportionately expensive infrastructure due to small size provides little to no opportunity to create economies of scale in Seychelles.
Present at the Meeting was also respective Ministers from SADC member states, Representatives from the African Development Bank and the AU Commissioner of Infrastructure and Energy HE Dr Elham M.A Ibrahim.
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