By Gabriel Ameh
ABUJA, Nigeria — The Deputy High Commissioner of South Africa, Ms Lindi Mminele, has called for greater emphasis on families as the foundation for African unity, regional integration and sustainable development.
Mminele made the call while delivering a speech on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Group of Ambassadors in Abuja during the SADC Day celebration, which featured indoor games, a walkathon, football, table tennis and other recreational activities.
She said Africa’s ambition to build a united and prosperous continent must begin with strong families and communities, stressing that regional policies and development programmes should ultimately improve the lives of ordinary people.
“Families are the foundation from which we will build the Africa we want,” she said, adding that the success of regional development initiatives should be measured by their impact on people’s lives.
According to her, programmes and frameworks such as the SADC Integrated Strategic Development Plan and Vision 2050 must deliver practical benefits to families rather than remain policy documents without meaningful results.
Nigeria’s role in Southern African liberation
The South African envoy also acknowledged Nigeria’s historical contribution to the liberation struggles of some Southern African countries, describing the country’s support, hospitality and solidarity as important to relations between the two regions.
She said Nigeria’s contribution extended beyond the past, expressing confidence in continued cooperation and a shared future between Nigeria and the Southern African countries.
Mminele’s remarks highlighted the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and Southern Africa, built partly on solidarity during the struggle against colonialism and apartheid.
Eight SADC countries represented in Nigeria
Explaining the composition of the SADC diplomatic group in Nigeria, Mminele said the regional organisation comprises 16 member states, with eight represented in the country.
The countries represented are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
She also explained that the SADC Group of Ambassadors operates a rotating leadership arrangement, with South Africa serving as chair, Zambia as the incoming chair and Zimbabwe as the outgoing chair. Zimbabwe also holds the position of dean of the group.
Mminele said the celebration, observed annually on August 17, provides an opportunity to reflect on the region’s shared identity, unity, integration and development aspirations.
‘Africa is one big family’
Emphasising the bonds connecting African countries, Mminele said shared borders, languages, cultural practices, traditions and intermarriage reinforce the idea of a common African family.
She noted that these connections should inspire countries to strengthen cooperation and pursue development that benefits their citizens.
According to her, building resilient regional blocs requires stable and economically viable countries, while strong countries depend on the wellbeing of their people.
She therefore urged stakeholders to place families at the centre of development planning, arguing that initiatives that fail to make a meaningful difference to households risk falling short of their purpose.
The SADC Day celebration brought together members of the diplomatic community and other participants for activities designed to promote fellowship, cultural connections and regional solidarity.
The programme included a walkathon, football, table tennis, indoor games and other recreational activities, providing opportunities for participants to interact beyond formal diplomatic engagements.
Mminele concluded her address by officially declaring the celebration open and inviting participants to take part in the activities.
The event reinforced the message that African integration is not only about cooperation between governments but also about strengthening the relationships, communities and families that connect the continent’s people.
