Member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) were urged to surrender more national sovereignty to pool regional sovereignty together and achieve larger goals.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of the 26th SADC summit on Friday, Chairperson of SADC Pakalitha Mosisili said: "Regional integration is not an end in itself, but a vehicle to the betterment of the lives of our people. Our integration, therefore, will put us in a better position to blend successfully into the global economy."

This requires enhanced and sustained political will and commitment to regional integration goals, said Mosisili, who is also the prime minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho.

"We must be prepared to surrender a little more of our national sovereignty over domestic policy, so as to pool our regional sovereignty together in pursuit of larger and longer term goals and benefits to all member countries," he said.

"Integration has its obvious costs but I can assure you, the costs of not integrating are far higher," he told heads of state of the 14 SADC member states.

Mosisili emphasized that unity is of great importance in the SADC integration process.

"In today's world, economic growth and development are the prerequisites for any region's ability to influence global outcomes," he said. "In a globalizing world, we have underscored the importance of negotiating together as one people with our development partners, and with the external world, on matters that affect our economic and social well being."

Mosisili challenged his colleagues to boost the influence of SADC as a major economic bloc in Africa and in the whole world.

"We should strive for the influence that will bring food, shelter, clothing and dignity to our people, including education, jobs and improved health," he said.

SADC leaders held closed-door sessions on Thursday and Friday, deliberating on a number of regional development issues, with several draft agreements approved.

SADC is a major regional body in Africa with a total population of over 230 million that accounts for almost one third of the African continent.

Its members are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Source: Xinhua