Zimbabwe to host SADC summit in August
Story by Oleen Ndori, Foreign Desk Editor
ZIMBABWE has expressed its readiness to host the 44th Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Summit set for August this year.
This year President Emmerson Mnangagwa will take over chairmanship of the regional body from his Angolan counterpart President João Lourenço.
Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ambassador Rofina Chikava says they held a virtual meeting with the SADC secretariat this Thursday to deliberate on various issues to be discussed at the August meeting.
“As you are aware, Zimbabwe will assume the Chairmanship of SADC in August 2024 having been elected in 2023 in August in Luanda, Angola. As part of the preparations for assuming the Chairmanship which goes along with hosting the Summit, the SADC Secretariat briefed us, as the Government of Zimbabwe on what is expected of us. The meeting touched on the following issues; Minimum standards for hosting SADC meetings, Administrative and logistical arrangements for hosting the Summit of SADC, Branding and Publicity issues when hosting SADC meetings, ICT requirements, Themes of the Summit and finally, the SADC Industrialization week; I must say the meeting was very insightful,” she said.
Issues that include insurgency in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado region, instability in eastern DRC and elections set to be held within SADC this year are expected to be high on the agenda of the 44th Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government.
