HARARE, (The Southern African Times) – Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera will this week take over the chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) at the Ordinary Summit Of Heads of States and Government in Lilongwe.
Chakwera takes the baton from Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique who assumed the chairmanship of the SADC in August 2020.
The SADC summit started on Monday, with a meeting of the Standing Committee of Senior Officials and Finance Committee, where Principal Secretary for the ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Dr Luckie Sikwese, assumed the chairmanship, taking over from Ambassador Carlos Rodrigues Da Costa of Mozambique.
This was followed by a meeting of SADC council of ministers and the SADC Organ Troika Summit.
Heads of State and Government will meet from 17 to 18 August.
The summit in Lilongwe will take stock of progress made in promoting and deepening regional integration in line with the SADC’s Vision 2050, which envisages a peaceful, inclusive, competitive, middle to high income industrialised region where all citizens enjoy sustainable economic well-being, justice, and freedom.
The executive secretary of the SADC Stergomena Lawrence Tax will be leaving after serving for eight years, and a new executive secretary would be sworn in.
Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have both nominated candidates for the position.
Botswana wants Elias Mpedi Magosi to take up the position while DRC has named Faustin Luanga Mukela as its candidate for the top SADC post.
During his visit to Lesotho in May, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, said his country was bringing to the table the best candidate for the SADC Secretariat post.
“We do not bring a fluke to the table, he is no pushover. The man has impeccable credentials. He is a top rated technocrat by our standards in Botswana,” he told journalists in Lesotho.
