by Kizito Sikuka in Gaborone, Botswana – SANF 15 no 42
Five newly elected southern Africa leaders are expected to address the 35th SADC Heads of State and Government Summit taking place in Gaborone, Botswana on 17-18 August, with three of them due to make their maiden speeches.
According to the summit agenda, the three new presidents to make their maiden speeches are Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique, Hage Geingob of Namibia, and Edgar Lungu of Zambia.
Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and his Mauritian counterpart Anerood Jugnauth are also expected to deliver speeches to the summit. However, SADC summits are not new to Mosisili and Jugnauth as both previously served as heads of government for their respective countries.
The new leaders are expected to continue with the work of their predecessors in pushing forward the regional integration agenda of SADC.
As per tradition, President Jakaya Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania is due to bid farewell to fellow southern African leaders at the summit.
Kikwete is serving his second and last term in office as stipulated by the Tanzanian constitution and is, therefore, not participating in the forthcoming elections.
Tanzania is preparing to hold its general elections on 25 October this year to choose a new president and members of Parliament (the Bunge).
The ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has selected Dr John Magafuli to replace Kikwete as the party’s presidential candidate.
CCM is the longest-serving political party in government on the continent, having been in power since Tanzania’s independence in 1961.
In his farewell address, Kikwete will chronicle some of the main achievements as well as challenges he experienced as being part of the SADC leadership.
Kikwete, who took over from Benjamin Mkapa as president of Tanzania in 2005 has been instrumental in pushing the regional integration agenda forward, and is a firm believer in the notion that SADC member states have a lot to gain from working together.
During his tenure as chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Kikwete was influential in promoting peace and stability in the region, particularly the successful conclusion of political dialogue in Zimbabwe that saw the establishment of an inclusive government in the country.
Kikwete also oversaw the completion and launch of the Revised Strategic Indicative Plan of the Organ (SIPO) in 2012.
The main objective of SIPO is to create a peaceful and stable political and security environment through which the region will realize its objectives of socio-economic development, poverty eradication, and regional integration.
Tanzania hosted other major SADC events, including the Extra-ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government in 2012.
The 35th SADC Summit is running under the theme “Accelerating Industrialization of SADC Economies, Through Transformation of Natural Endowment and Improved Human Capital.”
The theme continues the trajectory of the previous Summit held last year in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, which focused on economic transformation and sustainable development “through beneficiation and value addition”.
At the summit, President Seretse Khama Ian Khama of Botswana will assume the rotating SADC chair from his Zimbabwean counterpart, President Robert Mugabe.
Prior to this, there were meetings of senior officials, followed by the Council of Ministers, which adopted the agenda for the leaders.
The leaders are expected to deliberate on a wide range of issues, particularly on how southern Africa could fully benefit from its vast natural resources and improve the livelihood of its citizens.
Other issues will include the political situation in the region, as well as the implementation plan and financing of the SADC Industrialization Strategy and Roadmap and Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2015-2020 that were approved in April this year. sardc.net
