President Cyril Ramaphosa has departed South Africa for the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he is expected to participate in the 42nd Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government.
The SADC Summit will take place on Wednesday and conclude on Thursday at Palais du Peuple (Parliament Building) in Kinshasa.
The President is accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor; Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, and Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Thabang Makwetla.
Regional leaders will deliberate on the region’s development under the theme, 'Promoting industrialisation through, agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, and regional value chains for inclusive and resilient economic growth'.
The theme underscores efforts to strengthen implementation of the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030.
“SADC Member States will receive an update on progress made in the implementation of strategic policies and previous summit decisions, since the last meeting in August of 2021 held in Lilongwe, Malawi,” the Presidency said in a statement.
South Africa leverages SADC as its primary foreign policy vehicle for achieving regional development and integration within Southern Africa.
At the same time, SADC is guided by the SADC Vision 2050 and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) (2020 – 2030), the Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap, and the Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan.
“Given the frequency of natural disasters in the region, the summit is expected to adopt a Memorandum of Agreement on the establishment and operationalisation of the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC) to be hosted in Mozambique.
“In recognising the role played by non-State actors in this sector, the summit will consider a proposed SADC Mechanism for Engagement with Non-State Actors,” the Presidency said.
This year’s summit will also consider the status of ratification, accession and implementation of SADC Agreements and Protocols by member States.
The summit is expected to further deliberate on a proposed amendment to a protocol on the development of tourism in the region, as well as an amendment to the Treaty of the Southern African Development Community that entails recognition of the SADC Parliament as a SADC Institution.
President Ramaphosa, in his capacity as the outgoing Chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation and Facilitator of the Lesotho Peace Process, will lead discussions of the SADC Organ Troika Summit, which is responsible for promoting peace and security in the region.
Meetings of the Standing Committee of Senior Officials and the Finance Committee; the Council of Ministers, as well as a SADC Public Lecture and Organ Troika Summit will precede the summit.
During the summit, President Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo of the DRC will take over the chairpersonship of SADC from President Lazarus Chakwera of the Republic of Malawi.
Malawi assumed the Chair on 17 August 2021 during the 41st SADC Summit held in Lilongwe, Malawi.
Source: South African Government News Agency