SADC Exec Sec Magosi meets Chakwera: Discuss regional integration, development
Newly elected Southern African Development Community (SADC) Executive Secretary Elias Magosi on Tuesday met Malawi President and SADC chairperson Lazarus Chakwera where they discussed regional integration and development.
This was Magosi’s first official visit since assuming the office of the SADC Executive Secretary on 1st September, 2021, following his appointment at the 41st SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Lilongwe, from 17-18 August, 2021.
According to a release, the meeting, which was held in camera discussed a wide range of issues bordering on promoting and deepening regional integration, cooperation and development.
The two leaders also discussed on matters on accelerating implementation and achievement of the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 and the SADC Vision 2050.
“The Executive Secretary will also share his vision as head of the SADC Secretariat which is the principal executive institution of SADC responsible for, among others, strategic planning and management of SADC programs and implementation of the SADC Summit, Council and Ministerial Decisions,” read part of the release.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Magosi described his meeting with Chakwera as pivotal to drive SADC regional integration initiative.
“We also spoke about health. We deal with the pandemic Covid – 19 obviously there are lessons that have been drawn and we need to facilitate because us is the centre of facilitation.
“We discussed on what lessons have been drawn by different member states. How can we improve coordination going forward if anything like this befell us again in the future,” Magosi said.
Prior to the meeting with the SADC Chairperson, Magosi held discussions with the minister of Foreign Affair who is also Chairperson of SADC Council of Ministers, Eisenhower Mkaka.
“It was important for him to interface with the SADC Chairperson just to appreciate what the SADC Chairperson has as his vision for SADC so that the two can run side by side in making sure that the SADC regional integration agenda is a reality,” said Mkaka after the meeting.
Upon being appointed as the seventh Executive Secretary, Magosi has committed to actively engage SADC Member States, International Cooperating Partners and other stakeholders to achieve the objectives of the RISDP 2020-2030, a blue print of SADC which, amongst others, prioritizes infrastructure development, industrial development and market integration, social and human capital development and other cross cutting issues including environment, climate change, disaster risk management, gender and youth empowerment.
SADC is an organization of 16 Member States established in 1980 as the Southern African Development Coordinating Conference and later in August, 1992 transformed into the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The mission of SADC is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development through efficient, productive systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance and durable peace and security; so that the region emerges as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the world economy.
Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe are its member states.
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