mbulelo smpofu
Wallace Ruzvidzo recently in Gaborone, Botswana
BOTSWANA President Duma Boko and the SADC Secretariat expressed their trust in President Mnangagwa’s leadership as Chairman of the regional bloc and believe the trajectory he is leading the region to will bring prosperity, growth and unity of purpose.
President Mnangagwa was in Botswana last Friday for his maiden visit to the SADC Secretariat Headquarters as Chair of the regional bloc.
During the visit, the President familiarised himself with operations and guided the management and staff on the way forward.
In his remarks at the handover of the SADC House to the regional bloc’s Chairman and himself, host leader, President Boko said under President Mnangagwa’s leadership, the region was taking its rightful place in championing the continent’s rise.
“We appreciate the current leadership of His Excellency (President Mnangagwa) to SADC and we trust that this propitious moment will stand as a marker and abiding reference,” he said.
President Boko said it was important that the regional bloc’s current leadership leaves a lasting legacy for present and future generations.
“(This) is indeed an inspiration to generations that are coming,that we will leave for them a legacy of merit and success.
“And we demonstrate that Africa is rising, Africa will continue to rise and southern Africa has taken its rightful place in leading and championing that rise of the African continent,” he said.
SADC, said President Boko, stood as a beacon of hope, unity and strength.
“It is the culmination of optimism and determination. SADC stands out as a source of hope, strength, unity, resilience, social cohesion and justice and it is a platform for geopolitical metamorphosis,” he said.
SADC Executive Secretary, Mr Elias Magosi, said the bloc was confident that under President Mnangagwa’s leadership, deeper regional integration would be achieved.
He added that the President had assumed his position as Chairman of SADC seamlessly, which demonstrated his high leadership acumen.
“We are indeed grateful that this visit (by President Mnangagwa) provides a unique opportunity for the entire Secretariat to receive guidance from the chairperson of our community in our endeavours to achieve deeper regional integration.
“We are indeed appreciative of Your Excellency’s leadership and insights in dealing with issues of regional integration since the assumption of your mandate as Chairperson in August this year,” he said.
Zimbabwe, said Mr Magosi, had always been at the forefront of championing the region’s transformative journey towards industrialisation.
“We started in Zimbabwe through the directive of the 34th SADC Summit exactly 10 years ago to place industrialisation at the core of the SADC Regional Integration Agenda.
“SADC had set out on a path to accelerate industrialisation, to drive forward the region’s economy and unlock the immense potential of our people and the abundant natural resources in our possession.
“Under the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap, whose primary orientation is to engender economic and technological transformation of SADC region through industrialisation, modernisation, skills development, science and technology, financial strengthening and deeper regional integration.
“The 44th Summit theme provides a unique opportunity for us to shape the future of our region and the steps we must take to accelerate progress on our industrialisation agenda,” he said.
Mr Magosi added that the region needed to continue harnessing the power of innovation as a catalyst for development.
“…to accelerate implementation of key regional value chains and promote technological transfer to increase manufacturing of value-added products and ultimately realise economic growth and prosperity in the region,” he said.
Zimbabwe, under President Mnangagwa, is vigorously pursuing industrialisation and modernisation and that thrust is now being replicated on a regional scale, because of the country’s chairmanship of the SADC bloc.
