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It is a great honour and privilege for me to participate in the 44th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government and the Organ Troika Summit of the Southern African Development Community, convening under the theme: “Promoting Innovation to unlock opportunities for sustained economic growth and development towards an industrialised SADC.”
Allow me to express my deepest gratitude to Your Excellency Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe on your assumption of the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community. I am confident that under your able leadership, we will witness the continuation of the collective efforts and progress that we all aspire to see in the SADC region.
Your Excellencies, I assumed the office of President of the Republic of Namibia on the 4th of February this year in the wake of one of the most challenging and harrowing moments in the history of post- independent Namibia following the passing of His Excellency Dr. Hage Gottfried Geingob. The legacy of President Geingob is marked by his unwavering commitment to regional integration, peace and economic development. Namibians are grateful for the solidarity and support Your Excellencies and the fraternal people of your respective countries extended to the Namibian people during that difficult period. We will never forget your warm display of solidarity during our moment of need and sorrow.
While on this sad subject matter of bereavement and loss, allow me to convey our heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of the Republic of Malawi following the tragic death on the 10th of June 2024 of The Right Honourable Dr. Saulos Chilima, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi. Similarly, I would also like to convey our sincere condolences to the Government and people of the United Republic of Tanzania on the passing of His Excellency Mzee Ali Hassan Mwinyi, the second President of the United Republic of Tanzania on February 29, 2024. We salute these departed sons of Africa for their steadfast leadership and admirable service to their countries and the SADC region at large.
Your Excellencies, as President of the Republic of Namibia, I shall continue from where my predecessor left off by remaining committed to the goals and principles of our regional organization and the aspirations of our people. Furthermore, I will tirelessly endeavour to play my part in ensuring that their dreams and hopes for a better future will materialize into a region characterised by peace, unity and economic prosperity. I join you in discharging this cardinal responsibility of contributing to the advancement of initiatives and programs aimed at fostering economic growth and addressing regional challenges for the betterment of the living conditions of our people.
In the interests of advancing our developmental goals in the midst of continuous challenges, this year, the Republic of Namibia is co-facilitating alongside the Federal Republic of Germany the Summit of the Future during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Namibia has taken on this important role as a representative of the Global South. I can assure you that Namibia has accepted this task with utmost dedication and willingness to add our collective voice so that we inclusively build a better world for current and future generations.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Namibia is scheduled to hold Presidential and National Assembly elections on the 27th of November 2024. I am pleased to inform Summit that the SADC Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC) has just concluded its goodwill mission to the Republic of Namibia. As a nation that has enjoyed more than 34 years of peace and stability, we remain committed to the SADC Principles and Guidelines for Democratic Elections and will respect their findings and will pay attention to their advice and recommendations.
Your Excellencies, I wish to reiterate that the objectives of the Regional Strategic Indicative Development Plan 2020-2050 cannot be achieved if the fundamental pillar of peace, security and good governance is compromised. Our region is still faced with persistent security challenges in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, following the resurgence of conflict and activities of armed groups, including the M23. This is a source of great concern for the region as it poses a potential threat to regional peace and security. It therefore requires a collective effort and stronger political will for us to ensure that peace comes to the people of the DRC.
Let me extend our sincere condolences to the Governments whose brave sons and daughters have sacrificed their lives while deployed in the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) and the SADC
Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC). They lost their lives in support of the noble efforts of the Government of the Republic of Mozambique and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to combat violent conflict and instability in our two sister countries.
I commend all Member States for providing resources and materials in support of the SAMIM objective. Due to these collective efforts, the situation in Cabo Delgado has normalized and the displaced persons are returning to their places of origin.
In conclusion, let me express our gratitude to Mr. Elias Mpedi Magosi, Executive Secretary of SADC and the Secretariat for their commitment to serve our Organization and the people of our region.
I wish us all fruitful deliberations as we collectively seek to improve the lives of our peoples and set the future of our region on the trajectory of democracy, peace and sustainable development.
I THANK YOU! MUITO OBRIGADO! MERCI BEAUCOUP! ASANTE SANA!
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