The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Executive Secretary, Mr. Elias Magosi has expressed his satisfaction with the progress made in preparing for the Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for August in Zimbabwe.
This development came to light during a meeting between SADC Executive Secretary and President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House in Harare on Wednesday.
In August, Zimbabwe will assume the chairmanship of the regional bloc during the 44th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, which will take place in Harare. Currently, SADC Executive Secretary, Mr. Elias Magosi, is in the country evaluating the preparations, and he has expressed his satisfaction with the significant progress made, particularly in terms of infrastructure development.
Discussions also centered on the construction of the Museum of African Liberation, a project that President Mnangagwa is slated to showcase to regional leaders during the August summit.
“The second thing was to talk about the Liberation Museum. He has elaborated on the Liberation Museum, which we have the opportunity to go and see where it is at. In August, there will be a side event from the summit where he will be presenting the museum to the other heads of state, SADC heads of state and government, but also to present to them the SADC square, Liberation Square, where they can also put their liberation history as member states. So this is indeed a good realization that we have a history for us to be liberated as member states, as a region. And therefore, this is a historical development for us that we must do,” said Mг Magosi.
The SADC Extraordinary Summit recently launched a humanitarian appeal for $5.5 billion to support over 56.6 million people affected by the El Niño-induced drought and floods in the region, with millions in need of food assistance and other essential aid.
Mr. Magosi further mentioned:
“The appeal was launched, as you saw, in the last two days at the extraordinary summit. We are now going to be working with our partners, looking for resources, those amounts. We have to talk to our partners and all others that can support us to make sure that we get that.
Not only that, but we are also going to talk to those that have got surpluses, both in the region and outside the region, with food surpluses, with cereal, and so forth, so that we can supply those that are in need, those that are in deficit. We’ve also said, if you look at the appeal itself, that perhaps it’s about time, as a region. We should also plan better.
We now know that there is something called climate change. We now know that in times of this, every year around this time, we are going to have heavy rains, we will have drought. We know the El Nino cycle, we know the La Nina cycle, so we are now better informed.”
The upcoming SADC summit in August will focus on key regional issues, including the promotion of industrialization, addressing insurgencies in affected areas, and fostering greater people-to-people connections and cooperation.
1 Comment
Pingback: Zimbabwe on High Alert: Mnangagwa Warns of Stern Action Against 'Unruly Elements' Ahead of SADC Summit - Mbamali