WELCOMING REMARKS BY STUART KUFENI, CEO, SADC-DFRC, AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE SADC-DFRC NEW OFFICES AT THE ZAMBEZI TOWERS, CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT IN GABORONE, 8^TH JUNE 2016  

Director of Ceremonies,

The Guest of Honour, the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Honourable Kenneth Matambo,

Honourable Ministers here present,

Your Excellencies, heads of Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations,

Director of Policy Planning and Resource Mobilisation (PPRM) at the SADC Secretariat, Dr Angelo Mondlane,

Chairperson of the SADC DFI Network, Mr Patrick Dlamini,

Chairperson of the DFRC Board of Trustees, Mrs Annie Vidot,

Senior Staff of the SADC Secretariat,

Senior Officials of SADC Governments,                                                        

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentleman,

A very good evening to you all.

I would like to welcome you to the SADC Development Finance Resource Centre (the DFRC). We are honoured that you could join us on this auspicious occasion for the DFRC, the launch of our new offices.

The DFRC has been in existence for almost 13 years, a period during which it has grown from strength to strength. Having started with a small staff of two in July 2013, we have since expanded to a strong core team of professionals and support staff, well positioned to deliver on our regional mandate within the development finance of SADC.

With the support of strategic partners, international cooperating partners and other development stakeholders, the DFRC has evolved with time from the initial phase were our efforts were largely focused on establishing ourselves and gaining recognition as a regional player in our mandated areas of activities, namely capacity building, policy research, advocacy and advisory services.

To date, with more than 160 training courses, policy fora and workshops and hundreds of beneficiaries, the DFRC has become established as a brand on development finance issues within the SADC region and beyond.

Our mandate is very clear, to provide support to our principal stakeholders, SADC DFIs, to ensure availability of critical skills; best practice operational systems and governance structures; and a regulatory and policy environment promotive of investment growth. The end result is to strengthen DFIs as critical instruments in the mobilisation of long-term resources towards investment in growth sectors, principally industrial and infrastructure for the attainment of the overarching goal of regional integration.

Director of Ceremonies, Ladies and Gentlemen, the launch of our new offices today is of great importance to the DFRC and the DFI Network as it brings about some permanence to our establishment, thus allowing us to focus more rigorously on our mandated developmental deliverables. I must say, having relocated offices twice in the past, it is gratifying to finally own our premises and, I am sure this feeling is shared by all staff of the DFRC.

In this regard, on behalf of DFRC staff, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the DFRC Board of Trustees for their invaluable guidance and the SADC DFI Network for their unwavering support in making this happen.

With these few words, I would like to invite Dr Angelo Mondlane, Director of Policy Planning and Resource Mobilisation (PPRM) Directorate at the SADC Secretariat, to address us.

Thank you.