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Lloyd Gumbo in VICTORIA FALLS
FOREIGN Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi (pictured left) is today expected to take over chairmanship of the Sadc Council of Ministers that will set the agenda for the Heads of State and Government Summit where President Mugabe will assume leadership of the regional bloc this weekend.
Minister Mumbengegwi takes over from his Malawian counterpart, Dr George Thaputula Chaponda, who steered the council since last year.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha also chaired senior Sadc officials’ meetings here in line with steps towards leading the grouping over the next year.
He first chaired an interface that deliberated on the Summit agenda on Sunday, after which the officials reconstituted themselves into the Finance Committee on Monday to consider a report of the Sadc Sub-committee on Finance.
The senior officials meeting sets the actual Summit agenda.
Its outcomes will feed into the Council of Ministers’ meeting, which will, in turn, review and subsequently forward key identified issues to the two-day Summit, which opens on Sunday.
Among the issues the senior officials considered are peace and security and regional integration with the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) featuring prominently.
The plan aims to provide strategic direction on regional development objectives with focus on various economic areas such as energy, tourism and infrastructure.
Minister Mumbengegwi arrived here yesterday alongside his counterparts, Cdes Emmerson Mnangagwa (Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs); Patrick Chinamasa (Finance and Economic Development) and Mike Bimha (Industry and Commerce).
Dr Chaponda is also among the foreign dignitaries who are already here for the meeting.
Ambassador Bimha, in an interview last night, said: “We (senior officials) discussed the agenda which will be taken up by the ministers. This was to do with peace and security and regional integration.
“The review of the RISDP was also discussed.”
Online Reporter