Africa-Press – Mauritius. THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State Summit concluded with the leaders emphasizing unity, solidarity, and cooperation as fundamental approaches to achieving economic liberation and addressing emerging global challenges.
At the summit held in Antananarivo on Sunday, President Samia Suluhu Hassan was represented by Vice President Philip Mpango, where the host of the summit, Madagascar, assumed the chairmanship of the Community from Zimbabwe.
The meeting was attended by nine Heads of State, including the outgoing Chairperson, the incoming Chairperson, the SADC Executive Secretary, and four Heads of State from Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, and Mauritius, who, for the first time and were granted the opportunity to address the summit.
Their speech focused on four major areas, which are peace and security, infrastructure development, the economy, democracy, and integration.
Giving his address, the outgoing Chairperson, President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa, said that the political situation in the region is satisfactory except in eastern DRC, where ongoing efforts require unity, solidarity, and genuine commitment to resolve the crisis.
He emphasized that conflicts arising in Africa should be resolved by Africans themselves, and if external support is sought, it should only be considered as supplementary.
Speaking on the economy, the leaders underscored the importance of advancing industrialization, agriculture, trade, and value addition of raw materials.
According to the community, if the mentioned areas are well developed, they will play a pivotal role in stimulating economic growth, generating employment, and providing income for many people, especially youth and women.
Moreover, the President of Botswana, Duma Boko, stated that intra-African trade is a key pathway to economic emancipation.
Commenting on infrastructure development in roads, railways, water, energy, and ICT, the meeting highlighted that they are the backbone for accelerating development and integration.
However, the Member States were urged to mobilize resources to finance infrastructure projects outlined in the Regional Development Strategic Plan 2030 and to ratify the protocol establishing the regional development fund, which nine countries, including Tanzania, have already signed.
Additionally, on democracy, countries were urged to strengthen institutions that oversee the promotion of democracy and to reinforce the SADC Electoral Observation Mission, to ensure that member states conduct free, fair, and transparent elections.
To strengthen integration, member states were called upon to remove barriers that hinder the free movement of people and goods between countries. They were encouraged to abolish visa requirements and non-tariff barriers among themselves to enhance and deepen integration, thereby spurring economic and social activities.
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