Broad-based considerations and the coordinated rolling back of COVID-19 lockdowns critical to the restoration and revival of intra-SADC cross-border trade

As had been earlier on predicted, the COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be one of the trade-related issues to be deliberated on at the 40th  Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government.  At the end of this successful debut virtual 40th  Summit hosted by Mozambique in Maputo, from the 13th  to 17th  of August 2020, recommendation by the SADC Council of Ministers on this item was adopted at the SADC apex organization level. The need for regional cooperation and coordinated response in curtailing the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic within the bloc was fully highlighted. Further to this, the overbearing need to come up with innovative mechanisms to strengthen resilience, preparedness, and responsiveness to this COVID-19   crisis and similar future disasters was underscored. From this Summit conference, some Members States (MS) did not delay in softening their lockdowns, while others made policy pronouncements inclined towards scaling down from their initial shutdown levels.

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About the Author

RWATIDA MAFURUTU is a holder of Master of Commerce in Trade Law & Policy (Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, RSA), Master of Philosophy in Taxation (African Tax Institute, University of Pretoria, RSA) and a Master of Science in Fiscal Studies (Graduate School of Business, National University of Science & Technology, ZW). Rwatida is a practising technical career expert of close to 3 decades of experience in the field of Customs Border Management and Administration, Excise Management and Administration and Internal Taxes. He  writes  in  his  own  capacity.  Views  and  opinions  expressed  in  this  article  are  non- representative of his employers or any of his affiliates.