African leaders converged in the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg for a New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) meeting on Saturday, 13th June, 2015, where leaders discussed how NEPAD can be used to address some of the pressing issues affecting the continent.

Speaking on behalf of the African Regional Economic Communities (RECs), SADC Executive Secretary, Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax urged the Heads of State and Government to enable the RECs to keep the momentum on the pressing matter of Capacity Development and Institutional Transformation of Africa’s Regional Economic Communities, which are the “building blocks” of the African Union.

“Clearly, an effective continental programme requires appropriate capacity to drive its programme on a sustainable trajectory if our intended objectives are to be met. It is also critical that we put in place a homogenous capacity across the RECs, the AUC, the national levels and related stakeholders. I am inspired that through the Agenda 2063, we seek to ensure an asymmetrical capacity building programme, based on which we can collectively drive our common integration and development agenda. Excellencies, please enable us to keep the momentum,” said Dr. Tax.

She said capacity development and institutional transformation is at the centre of the quest for impactful and sustainable results from regional integration efforts, adding that “The capacity of the entire AU institutional architecture requires attention, as part of the RECs capacity and institution building process particularly as it relates to effective linkage with other AU institutions in avoiding, the long standing and unattended problem of overlaps and duplication by institutions which are supposed to be working in coherence, linking and reinforcing transformation efforts.”

Dr. Tax further said “Let us not lose sight of the fact that the overall capacity of Africa and the African Union’s institutions, including RECs will ultimately determine the quality of regional integration that will be attainable. That the effective delivery of regional integration in Africa implies a strong, robust, learning and transformational network of both national and regional institutions and in particular the RECs, as the building blocs for Africa’s transformation.”