SADC SUMMIT TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY

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Author: BERNARD LUGONGO
AfricaPress-Tanzania: PRESIDENT John Magufuli is expected to hand over the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, during the 40th community’s Ordinary Summit to be held from next Monday.

According to a statement released by the SADC secretariat, the Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government and preceding meetings will be held virtually from August 10, to 17, this year.

President Magufuli took over the leadership of the regional bloc from the President of the Republic of Namibia, Dr Hage Geingob, in August last year.

In his remarks at the event, Dr Geingob said: “It gives me great pleasure to pass the baton to my dear brother, Dr John Magufuli. I believe that given his wisdom and dedication to the acceleration of development and welfare of the citizens of our region and continent, he will advance our regional integration agenda to higher heights.”

On his part, President Magufuli pointed out that African countries were not poor as they had numerous economic potentials and sources of revenue.

He said Tanzania was fully committed to SADC and considered the regional body as an integral part of the country’s future.

Dr Magufuli decried the low level of industrialisation in Africa, with most exports being raw materials.

This made Africa’s rating in global trade lowest. He was upbeat that introducing the industrialisation week during each annual Summit of Heads of State would promote industrialization in the region.

In the statement over this year’s Summit to start next week, the secretariat stated that in view of the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Summit and preceding meetings will be conducted virtually with a reduced agenda, focusing on the hand-over of the SADC Chairperson-ship, and critical institutional matters.

The Republic of Mozambique will host the virtual meetings as the Incoming Chair of the 16 Member regional economic bloc.

The SADC Summit is responsible for the overall policy direction and control of functions of the community, ultimately making it the policy-making institution of SADC.

The SADC Summit is made up of all SADC Heads of State or Government and is managed on a troika system that comprises the current SADC chairperson, the incoming chairperson and the immediate previous chairperson.

The Ordinary SADC Summit usually meets once a year around August or September in a member state of the incoming SADC chairperson.

The current SADC troika comprises of President Magufuli as the chairperson of SADC; his predecessor Dr Geingob, as the outgoing chairperson and President Nyusi as the incoming chairperson.

The troika for the SADC Organ on politics, defence and security cooperation comprises of President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe as the chairperson of the organ; his predecessor President Edgar Lungu of Zambia as the outgoing Chairperson of the organ and Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi the President of Botswana as the incoming chairperson of the organ.

Next Monday, the meeting of the SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials will kick off followed by meeting of the SADC Finance Committee on the following day.

On Thursday, 13th, the Council of Ministers will sit before Organ Troika Summit on the following day preceded by the meeting of senior officials and ministerial committee of the organ troika.

The Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government will be held on 17th August.

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