Malawi President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has said he is leaving the chairmanship of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) a happy man.
Chakwera made the remarks on Monday during the official opening of the conference for the International Commercial Arbitration Centre.
Specifically, the President mentioned that he will exist the stage a fulfilled man having successfully championed the establishment of the arbitration centre which is the first of its kind in the history of Malawi.
Current Chair of SADC-HE Chakwera
Truth be told, this could be one of the many tangible achievements that Chakwera as SADC chair could point at.
From the onset, the President showed that he is a man on a mission to take SADC to another level and indeed he can’t be blamed for standing on a roof top celebrating his many achievements including successfully accomplishing a number of SADC programs aimed at strengthening regional integration.
Chakwera ascended into SADC chairmanship last year while Mozambique war with rebel groups was at its peak.
Few months while in office Dr Chakwera approved that SADC should intervene to end the war in Mozambique.
Islamists in Cabo Delgado remains a SADC challenge
While Chakwera was in office SADC agreed to deploy troops to Mozambique to help it tackle the escalating violence in the country’s north.
Nearly 3,000 people have been killed and almost 800,000, half of whom are children, have been forced from their homes in gas-rich Cabo Delgado province since the conflict began in 2017.
SADC Executive Secretary Stergomena Tax in one of the summits in Maputo, stressed the urgent need for such interventions as a bloc.
The Maputo summit saw the 16-member bloc of southern African countries approving the deployment of the Standby Force in support of Mozambique to combat terrorism and acts of violent extremism in Cabo Delgado.
Tax said the standby force was part of a regional defence pact that allows military intervention to prevent the spread of conflict.
While in office Chakwera refused substandard materials like vaccine or any other substandard things to flood the regional block countries.
This is what Chakwera said in his acceptance speech : “Our message to those nations that promote and perpetuate this framework is simple: You are using a tired and failed formula.
“African countries are full members of the global community, period. As such, for the sake of the dignity of all human beings everywhere, we as Africans have a moral duty to refuse to be treated as second class citizens.
“We as Africans have a moral duty to refuse second class status in the rules of engagement for participating in the global economy. So the time has come for us to work together to put the ratified African Free Trade Area to full use until the economic rules that disadvantage our nations are rewritten.”
Chakwera said Africans have a moral duty to refuse second class status in the restrictions accepted from outsiders for managing own finances.
The President advocated for free trade area agreements to be fulfilled so that Africa Develop fast and act as catalyst to spur development.
Chakwera will hand over the mantle of SADC leadership during a Heads of State Summit to be held in DR Congo.
