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Thandeka Moyo Chronicle Reporter
SADC Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meet in Bulawayo today for a two-day workshop to discuss finance and investment issues affecting the region.

Key issues on the agenda include regional integration agenda and the establishment of the Sadc Regional Development Fund.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Willard Manungo, said the meeting was meant for finance ministers and governors of central banks in the Sadc region.

“These officials who head Sadc committees will meet and deliberate on the macro-economic convergence agenda which entails coming up with ways that ensure we move with the same pace towards development.

“We’re also looking forward to a time where we’ll have the same inflation levels, exchange controls, behaviour in monetary policies and also uniformity in payment systems for trade occurring within the region,” said Manungo.

“Consistent with this commitment, some key issues to be discussed in this meeting include the framework for macroeconomic surveillance programme, which is a mechanism to track member states’ economic convergence indicators.”

Manungo said Minister Patrick Chinamasa would officially open the meeting this morning.

“We’re also working on setting up the Sadc Development Fund as we agreed that as a region we can no longer depend on donor funding to foster development. Eleven member states are represented and Minister Chinamasa is heading the committee of Sadc Finance Ministers,” said Manungo.