Southern African summit on regional uplift starts in Malawi

By Moses Michael-Phiri

LILONGWE, Malawi (AA) – The 41st Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit started Monday in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe to discuss the regional strategic development plan with a strong focus on industrialization.

The SADC Council of Ministers is expected to meet from Aug. 14 to 15 while the heads of state will wrap up the meeting from Aug. 17 and 18 where the regional bloc will elect a new executive secretary. Incumbent Stergomena Lawrence Tax is stepping down after eight years as the administrative leader.

Under the theme “Bolstering Productive Capacity in the Face of COVID-19” and with a focus on the inclusive, sustainable economic and industrial transformation, the meeting of the finance ministers started discussions to lay the groundwork for this year’s agenda.

Speaking at the start of the meeting, Malawi’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs Luckie Sikwese said the summit will cement great strides the SADC is making in regional economic cooperation and integration.

“The summit will take stock of progress made in promoting regional integration in line with the goal of creating an inclusive, competitive, middle-to high-income industrialized region by 2050,” said Sikwese.

At the week-long summit, Malawian President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera will assume the SADC chairmanship from his Mozambican counterpart President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi for a period of one year.

For the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Co-operation, President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana will hand over the chairmanship to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

On COVID-19, Sikwese said the impact of the pandemic is changing the economic landscape around the world, including the SADC region.

“Therefore, the leaders will discuss interventions and recommendations to keep economies afloat, especially solutions to the shortage of coronavirus vaccines,” he said.

According to Africa Centers for Disease Control only about 24 million people, which is just 1.7% of Africa's population, have been fully vaccinated.