Africa-Press – Lesotho. THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit has called for an accelerated establishment of the SADC Regional Development Fund as an independent Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).
The call was made when concluding the three-day Heads of State Summit held in Antananarivo on Sunday, where the fund aims to enhance regional economic resilience, supporting sustainable development, and mobilising long-term investment for SADC regional programmes.
Among many other things, the summit emphasised the importance of agriculture in ensuring food security and self-sufficiency and urged Member States to adopt regional strategies that strengthen agricultural productivity and climate resilience, with emphasis on Climate Smart Agriculture, irrigation, post-harvest efficiency, and regional blue economy.
On the side of gender equality, the Member States were urged to promote women’s full and effective participation in political and decision-making processes, strengthen national systems for coordinated data collection and regular surveys on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and increase support and funding for initiatives addressing its root causes.
During the summit, Madagascar assumed the Chairmanship of SADC, taking over from Zimbabwe.
The Summit also welcomed four newly elected leaders who delivered their maiden speeches, namely,
President Duma Boko (Botswana), President Daniel Chapo (Mozambique), President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (Namibia), Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam (Mauritius).
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