“SADC Summit opportunity for Malawi to shine,” – Chilima
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit due next week to be hosted by the South-eastern nation of Malawi is an opportunity to shine to the world at large because as the country geared to give it its best shot, Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima has said.
Chilima made the remarks Wednesday inspected various preparatory taking place in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe with a message that the 41st SADC Summit of Heads of State is an opportunity for Malawi to give the best impression to the world.
“Malawi should regard the hosting of the Summit and the assuming of the SADC Chairmanship as a one time opportunity to show the world what it is capable of and display the beauty that the country has,” Chilima said.
Chilima, who was ordered last Sunday by President Lazarus Chakwera to inspect the works, said he was impressed with the work that the committee has done and urged them to work around the clock considering that visitors start arriving next Monday.
Said Chilima: “So far, so good. I am really impressed with the preparations. Everyone is putting up a good shift. This Summit will define us a country on how best organised we are and I believe this is that one chance for us to pull an excellent surprise to the world.”
Poverty and underdevelopment remain daunting challenges for social and human development in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Approximately half of the population lives below the international poverty line of US $1 per day, according to the International Council on Social Welfare.
Poverty in SADC is made worse by several factors, which include; High levels of disease, in particular HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis; Social and civil conflict, natural disasters, such as recurrent droughts and floods that reduce food security; unemployment; and low industrial growth and productivity, which is reinforced by high levels of migration of skilled labour out of the region
The committee is led by Foreign Affairs Minister Eisenhower Mkaka who also accompanied the Vice President during tour presented a report on the position of preparations of the Summit, as submitted by the various Subcommittees.
The Vice President said he will tour all Summit hotspots to ensure that all things are in place and orderly.
President Lazarus Chakwera was earlier this year elected by SADC member States as the one to take over Chairperson slot in August 2021 after Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi who started his one year tenure on Monday taking over from President John Magufuli of Tanzania.
At the 40th ordinary summit held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic and hosted by Mozambique, the 16-member regional block settled for Malawi to host the 41st ordinary SADC summit for Heads of State in August 2021 where Chakwera will assume the chairperson role.
It will be the third time in 20 years for Malawi to host SADC Heads of State and Government Summit.
In 2001, then president Bakili Muluzi assumed the SADC chairmanship as did former president Joyce Banda in August 2013.
Chakwera, who attended the SADC summit for the first time as Head of State following his victory in the June 23 2020 fresh presidential elections, said the development symbolises the level of confidence the regional bloc has in the new leadership of Malawi.
“We are greatly humbled to be given this responsibility and I wish to express our unwavering commitment t execute this responsibility with utmost diligence,” Chakwera said soon after it was announced that he would take the regional grouping’s mantle.
President Chakwera said he will make use if the SADC chairmanship toward the advancement of the region’s integration agenda as the community moves towards the SADC agenda 2050 and the post-2020 SADC agenda, which has already been adopted.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) was established as a development coordinating conference (SADCC) in 1980 and transformed into a development community in 1992.
Established on April 1st 1980, SADCC was the precursor of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) – as the SADCC was transformed into the SADC on 17 August 1992 in Windhoek, Namibia where the SADC Treaty was adopted, redefining the basis of cooperation among Member States from a loose association into a legally binding arrangement.
SADC is an inter-governmental organisation whose goal is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development through efficient productive systems, deeper co-operation and integration, good governance and durable peace and security among fifteen Southern African Member States.
SADC’s mandate is to promote Investment, Efficiency, and Competitiveness in the global economy and to improve the quality of lives of the region’s population. These goals can only be achieved by fostering educated, skilled, healthy, and productive ‘human resources’.
Although the SADC region has made significant progress related to social and human development over the last decade, there are a number of major challenges that still need to be addressed.
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