Chronicle Editor
Zvamaida Murwira, Harare Bureau
ZIMBABWE will prioritise food security and push for the political stability of the SADC region in all areas during the one-year tenure that the country will be at the helm of the regional bloc.
Addressing the SADC Council of Ministers and Ambassadors on the sidelines of Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Japan on Sunday, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Frederick Shava, said there will also be focus on enhancement of energy in the power sector, which is the anchor of SADC’s modernisation and industrialisation drive.
During the meeting, Minister Shava briefed his colleagues in the region about the just-ended 44th SADC Summit and resolutions that came from it.
“Having attended to all this, the summit addressed the way forward from the theme and outcomes of the SADC Summit and the priorities of the region are clear. Zimbabwe will give special attention to issues of food security and restoration of regional peace and stability during our chairmanship,” he said.
“Additional issues that were discussed included progress made in implementing the SADC industrialisation strategy and roadmap, preparations for the SADC transfrontier international summit that will be held in Victoria Falls in May 2025 and the cross-cutting issues of gender and youth empowerment.
“It was noted that the industrialisation week held during the lead-up to the summit was successful and well attended. Finally, the summit reiterated its position against the unjustified unilateral sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by some Western countries.”
He said diplomats accredited to Japan should strike a strategic partnership to enhance SADC’s development.
“We need strategic partnerships to enhance our region’s development. I also want to underscore the importance of speaking with one voice in order to strengthen our regional co-operation, integration and growth,” said Minister Shava.
“Above all, when we speak with one voice, others have no choice, but to fall in line with our priorities. It gives us more power to set the agenda and the tone of our partnerships. As SADC, our development priorities are hinged on industrialisation with value addition and beneficiation of our minerals as important aspects.”
Minister Shava said the 44th SADC Summit was the most highly attended in the past 10 years. The summit was pleased about the SADC mission in Mozambique with progress made towards the pursuit of peace and stability in Cabo Delgado province.
“On a related matter, the summit was updated on the operationalisation of the SADC humanitarian and emergency operations centre, called Shoc in short, which entered into force on the 28th April 2024. Shoc is an autonomous SADC agency located in Nakala, Mozambique, whose mandate is to co-ordinate disaster risk responses and recovery plans in the SADC region. The operationalisation of the Shoc is urgent, given the persistent climate shocks affecting our region,” said Minister Shava.
“The summit adopted additional programmes to address the water and power shortages affecting SADC member states, such as the Congo River water transfer and hydro-power investment project.
“It also noted the progress made towards the development of smart development corridors that enable regional integration and provide access to international markets, especially for landlocked countries. This new approach prioritises the development of critical infrastructure in the transport, information, communication, technology, as well as the power and energy sectors.”
On nutrition, Minister Shava said member states were urged to closely monitor the regional nutrition situation by scaling up relevant screening programmes and preventive measures.
“On health, member states were urged to continue taking measures to address diseases of public health concern, including new and emerging epidemics and outbreaks, such as mpox.
“It was noted that the requisite number of signatures for the agreement amending the SADC treaty to recognise the SADC parliament as one of the SADC institutions had now been attained and the treaty entered into force as of July 11, 2024,” he said.
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