Namibia remains committed to regional integration in the SADC region, but political challenges in Lesotho and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remain major regional concerns, Namibia’s deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said this week.

Nandi-Ndatwaih, who is also the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, said Namibia was committed to implementing objectives of the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) by implementing decisions and programmes that were aimed at moving the region towards industrialisation.

The ultimate objective of the RISDP is to deepen the integration agenda of SADC with a view to accelerating poverty eradication and the attainment of other economic and non-economic development goals.

The RISDP is underpinned by the SADC Vision, which charts the direction for the development of the region.

The SADC’s Declaration and Treaty that was signed by Heads of State and Government in August 1992 in Windhoek calls upon member countries to develop a vision of a shared future, a future within a regional community. “Namibia remains committed to the promotion of regional integration in the SADC region, with a view to accelerate the eradication of poverty and attain socio-economic development.