By Nevanji Munyaradzi Chiondegwa
Harare – In his acceptance speech at the 44th Ordinary SADC Summit, President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe has assumed the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), emphasizing the critical role of innovation and unity in driving the region’s development agenda.
President Mnangagwa expressed his profound gratitude to the outgoing SADC Chairman, President João Lourenço of Angola, for his “astute and visionary leadership” in navigating the various challenges faced by the organization over the past year. He also acknowledged the dedicated leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia in his role as the Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
Addressing the assembled Heads of State and Government, President Mnangagwa highlighted the theme of this year’s summit, “Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development towards an Industrialised SADC.” He underscored the importance of leveraging the region’s human capital and fostering technology and innovation to drive the modernization and industrialization of SADC.
“It is a clarion call for our respective countries to leverage the region’s human capital, to spur technology and innovation that will leap-frog the modernization and industrialization of SADC towards a higher quality of life of our citizens,” the President said.
Emphasizing the need to harness the potential of innovation, President Mnangagwa called for the region to focus on value addition and beneficiation of its rich mineral and natural resources. He challenged SADC member states to match their aspirations set out in the SADC Industrialization Strategy and Roadmap with concrete and real actions.
The President also stressed the importance of ensuring that the region’s youth and entrepreneurs, including women, fully embrace the technology and innovation revolution, and urged for enhanced collaboration in the ICT sector to address the digital divide.
Addressing the region’s challenges, President Mnangagwa acknowledged the negative impacts of climate change-induced natural disasters and called for scaled-up investments in transformative agriculture and food systems, as well as the full operationalization of the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Centre.
Recognizing the role of the region’s liberation struggle, the President extended an invitation to SADC leaders to witness the unveiling of the SADC Liberation Square within the premises of the Museum of African Liberation in Zimbabwe. He stressed the importance of preserving and sharing the true story of the region’s rich liberation heritage.
President Mnangagwa assured the SADC citizens that Zimbabwe will continue to advance the founding principles, values, goals, and objectives of the regional bloc, emphasizing the importance of unity, solidarity, and self-determination. He expressed his commitment to working with the member states to accelerate the implementation of regional projects and programs, leaving no country behind.
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