Leaders attending the Smart Partnership Conference should not only focus on creating a conducive business environment for big international corporations such as those involved in mining and banking. SADC governments must also work on creating an environment that makes indigenous Small Scale and Medium Enterprises the bedrock of economic development and poverty eradication in Southern Africa.

We would like to appeal to the leaders attending the conference to ensure that the resolutions of the Smart Partnership Dialogue are designed in a way that will benefit the very poor of Southern African communities. On many occasions poor people particularly women have not been considered as part of the solutions to the poverty affecting our communities.

There is need for our governments in the SADC region to start looking at poor people as part of the solutions to our problems. Governments should always involve poor people during the formulation and implementation of policies such as the ones that are being considered under the Smart Partnership Dialogue.

ULP strongly feels that no matter how well meaning any program or intervention to lower poverty is, it cannot succeed unless it makes the poor themselves part of the planning and the solution. We would have loved to see participation of poor people and their representatives in the main meeting and also at a host of satellite meetings alongside the main conference focusing on the poor and the problems they face in being active participants in the fight against poverty.

Business opportunities should not only be designed for foreign investments but should always consider helping the under privileged to start making a meaningful living from the available resources through Small Scale and Medium enterprises. The United Liberal Party (ULP) feels that every poor person has a right to benefit and participate in the programmes that will be developed under the Smart Partnership Dialogue.

While we agree with President Yoweri Museveni that doing business under the Smart Partnership Forum could be a “win-win” situation. We are appealing to President Yoweri Museveni and other Heads of State attending the Smart Partnership Dialogue to ensure that the forum also becomes a “win-win” situation for the poor people of Southern Africa.

The resolutions from the Smart Partnership Dialogue at Mulungushi should make it easy for poor people to participate in the mainstream economies of Southern Africa.  

 
Hon Sakwiba Sikota
President
United Liberal Party (ULP)
July 29, 2008