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The Sadc Secretariat is satisfied with Zimbabwe’s progress in preparing for the regional bloc’s summit to be held in Victoria Falls next month.
Zimbabwe will host the 34th Sadc Summit which will usher in President Mugabe as the chairperson of the 15-member group for the coming year.
He takes over from President Peter Mutharika of Malawi.
Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Joey Bimha said Government officials met Sadc Secretariat officials during the recent African Union meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to brief them on the preparations and they expressed their satisfaction with progress made thus far.
“I can safely say everything is going according to plan. The Cabinet is constantly being briefed on our preparations and so far there have not been any glitches. The steering committee, which is headed by Dr (Ray) Ndhlukula (Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet), is holding regular meetings to assess the preparations,” he said.
Ambassador Bimha said the Summit’s media sub-committee would soon start making public pronouncements related to the high-level meeting.
Several other sub-committees are working on different aspects of the summit to ensure its success.
Ambassador Bimha said refurbishment of various supporting infrastructure were already underway in the resort town of Victoria Falls. This includes major expansion work on Victoria Falls International Airport.
The summit is themed “Sadc Strategy for Economic Transformation: Leveraging the Region’s Diverse Resources for Sustainable Economic and Social Development”.
President Mugabe was elected Sadc deputy chair at the bloc’s summit in Lilongwe, Malawi, last year soon after his resounding victory in the July 31 harmonised elections.
Zimbabwe’s chairmanship is expected to see the region consolidate its Pan-African agenda in view of President Mugabe’s uncompromising views on Africa’s renaissance.
President Mugabe was also elected the AU first deputy chair.
Online Reporter