Southern African heads of state set to attend the 43rd Ordinary SADC Summit
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Business Staff reporter Garowe Online
- Posted On 14-08-2023, 04:42PM
LUANDA, Angola - Eight presidents have confirmed they will attend the 43rd Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) set to take place on August 17 in Angola’s capital, Luanda.
Among the presidents who have confirmed their attendance are Hage Geingob of Namibia, Felix Tshisekedi (Democratic Republic of Congo), Hakainde Hichilema (Zambia), Lazarus Chakwera (Malawi), Filipe Nyusi (Mozambique), Mokgweetsi Masisi (Botswana), Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa) and the host president, Joao Lourenco of Angola.
Lesotho will be represented by its Prime Minister Sam Matekane, while Seychelles will be represented by Vice President Ahmed Afif.
During the summit, Angola will assume the next presidency of the trade bloc where the discussion will be around promoting regional security and development.
Southern Africa region is currently facing crucial security issues, including instability in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Angola could place these matters on the SADC agenda and work toward collaborative solutions to enhance its influence and contribute to regional stability, said Osvaldo Mboco, an expert in international relations at the Technical University of Angola.
The regional economic community comprising 16 member states is dedicated to promoting sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development through cooperation and integration.
In a recent interview with a Chinese media outlet, Mboco said as one of the main mediatory countries, both politically and militarily, within the SADC, Angola is "one of the states grappling with the task of adjusting conflict resolutions."
Additionally, Mboco mentioned the challenge of industrialization as a significant concern faced by the SADC.
Persisting asymmetries among its members and a weakened intra-regional trade continue to trouble the region. "Industrialization plays a pivotal role in the dynamic integration of the SADC and in propelling regional development," the expert said.
He did mention Angola's Lobito Corridor, a railway stretching from the Angolan coast to the DRC, will facilitate trade within the region.
"The SADC needs to overcome these challenges to achieve the desired development and prosperity," he said.
Comoros and Madagascar will not be represented at the meeting because the two nations are facing sanctions for non-compliance with the payment of annual fees, Angola’s Secretary for SADC said in a statement on Saturday.
The theme of this year’s one-day convention will be “Human and financial capital: The main factors for sustainable industrialization in the region of SADC.”
During the meeting, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will hand over the rotating presidency of SADC to Angola.
Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, and Tanzania are the other countries making up the 16-member SADC bloc. It is unclear why the four nations did not confirm their attendance at the Thursday summit.
SADC is headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among its member states.
GAROWE ONLINE
