Lusaka — This past week southern African nations under the SADC banner witnessed a landmark occasion at the Maseru (Lesotho) SADC conference.

SADC's heads of state and government committed themselves to the achievement of regional integration through the establishment of a Free Trade Area by the year 2008 (in two years from now), a regional Customs Union by 2010 (in four years' time) and a monitory union by 2016 (in 10 years' time).

As the meeting got into top gear of its deliberations, it had cause for excitement and jubilation, for it was not only against the background of speeches and papers, but of practicalities that the SADC nations were communing. They had some tangible achievements to celebrate.

First it was SADC students who, these days traverse SADC nations borders and campus gates into lecture rooms at affordable cost, and now it was SADC wildlife roaming their wildness at liberty without hindrances! Just the day before the official opening of the Maseru conference, on Wednesday 16th August, 2006, the Presidents of Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe had launched Africa's first ever open cross-border park, baptised 'Giriyondo Tourist Access Facility' which joins the three countries into the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.

This unique facility aimed at acting as a catalyst to boost regional tourism by converting the region into a major global eco-tourist destination, now allows Mozambican, South African and Zimbabwean game park wildlife to freely roam their God-given wilderness across the three countries' frontiers without hitting against solid fences.

It follows the removal of the 450km heavy fence between South Africa and Mozambique, an exercise expected to be completed by the year 2010 when the rest of the border fence will be totally demolished as a living testimony of what South Africa's President Mbeki referred to as, 'a tangible symbol that we can and must use sustainable development to confront the legacy of colonialism and apartheid, to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment and build a better world for all our people'.

Barely two weeks earlier, hundreds of Namibian teachers under the banner of SADC, had received their teaching certificates at a colourful graduation ceremony in Harare, after successfully completing their professional teaching training course at a Zimbabwean Teacher Training College. They will now return to their country to embark on teaching careers across the country's secondary schools and pass on their hard earning knowledge to thousands more young people.

Truly, what momentous unfolding events of note! One couldn't but wish and hope to be around to see the year 2016. My mind could literally wander and visiolise 2016, want and wish to touch it, as if it was a person one can touch and feel.

2016 when, not only will young people in search of knowledge and skills have the opportunity to sit in lecture rooms across the SADC member countries, and its wildlife be enjoying the freedom of movement the way they used to freely roam their wilderness before the 1884/5 Berlin Conference that disintegrated us and erected the artificial boundaries, but that by that time, the 14 SADC nations' nationals will be enjoying the freedom of movement for their social, economic and political advancements without any limitations, cross pollinating and utilising their expansive human and natural resources to the maximum for their full social and economic development.

Now, that is true independence, true freedom from the architectures of colonialism and apartheid systems - shackles of slavery and control truly broken, broken so much that even the beasts of the wilderness can feel their freedom - that's the day the Maseru SADC conference signified, the ultimate, the promised land.

Yes, a lot of very interesting things are happening. This week's media news that Zambia will soon be a food basket, and that Botswana and Namibia are to construct an inter-country electric railway line are all signs that we can look forward to greater things. But apparently, beyond this seemingly ray of anticipation and hope, lie some serious threats to these positive social, economic and political advancements.

This same week also witnessed expressed concerns about some serious anti-development elements and attitudes that, if not addressed expediently, might serve as stabling blocks to this real symbols of development.

A recent South Africa Business Forum heard that, 'human intolerance had not only become a menace, but a rising dangerous tide'. Apparently, a South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and SA Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee report had noted with grave concern, the growing rate of xenophobia, that, 'stereotypes people from the rest of the continent as criminals and competitors for scarce job, with the immediate result that it obscures the positive impact immigrants are making to national and human development'.

The report highlighted the need to appreciate that it is inevitable for developing democracies to utilise every available critically needed skill and investment that can be mobilised, sighting the benefits of migration which include, but are not limited to the transfer of knowledge, skills and physical coinage, but investment enhancement and employment creation.

The meeting heard how for, instance, one lone young female Zambian labour consultant had created jobs for as many as 12 local people.

Highlighting the underlying causes of xenophobia which often times include competition for scarce jobs and opportunities, forum participants pointed out that migration can be, and should be looked at as a positive tool for development, as it can enhance cross-pollination of ideas, knowledge, skills and capital.

The more people move from one place to another, the more they learn from each other, and the more they can do things better. As an old African proverb goes, 'the tiny bird that stays within its mother's nest never knows where the grain is ripe'.

It goes without saying that if African is going to develop, it has to facilitate its human resource's ability to share and pollinate ideas, learn from one another, and expand their Africanness.

An Africa too limited and too closed, is an Africa maneuvering post modernity's globalisation blindfolded.

Recent statistics indicate that whereas global economic growth has soared during the last quarters, Africa's share of the world's export fell from four 4.6per cent in 1980 to 1.8 per cent in 2000; its imports declined from 3.6 per cent to 1.6per cent during the same period; while its foreign direct investment (FDI) fell from 1.8 per cent during the period 1986-90 to 0.8 per cent in 1999-2000. HIV/AIDS has not made matters any easier.

Sub-Sahara Africa still accounts for three quarters of the global HIV/AIDS incidence, most of which lies on SADC Countries 'shoulders.

These figures show the level to which our continent continues to lag behind in its development efforts. Needless to say that any practical regional integration efforts aimed at reversing these trends, more than ever before, will need to encompass and tap on the region's skilled and experienced human resource wherever it can be found irrespective of individual people's villages of birth.

African people no longer have the luxury of pettiness. They have to think big, live big and be in a hurry. The global train is on the move, and is moving pretty fast. Any endeavour to catch up with it requires some wit. Simply put, 'Vision 2016' needs that kind of open mindedness and magnanimity!

The SADC heads of state and government have spoken. They are worried about donor dependency of up to 61% of its budget that renders it unable to readily and fully implement its Regional Indicative Strategic Development Programme (RISDP) activities; Africa's declining influence in the UN and other world institutions, particularly IMF and World Bank (WB); recurrent food shortages and the high levels of HIV/AIDS.

They have put a strategic development plan in place for us. We people, simple, ordinary people have a duty to understand our role, and embrace this plan so that it can carry us into a positive future.