When 90% of the people of the south western Indian Ocean are living in poverty − I speak principally of Madagascar and the Comoros − we might ask ourselves, not how we can continue to be in the lead at the top of the Mo Ibrahim Index for Africa, but what have we done with that leadership to secure development in our region to relieve poverty, and to promote growth.
What we lack now is a clear vision for our future, a long-term picture of where we want to be in 2030 based on greater intra-regional cooperation and reinvigorated trade, amongst others. To turn round the famous Clinton adage on political priorities, it seems to me that on the regional integration issue: It’s all about trade, stupid!