Antananarivo: The Standing Committee of Senior Officials of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) adopted on Sunday, in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, the agenda for the organization's Council of Ministers, which will take place on the 12th and 14th of this month.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the meeting of senior officials and the Council of Ministers session precede the 45th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government, scheduled for the 17th of this month in the Malagasy capital. The summit will focus on the theme "Promoting Industrialization, Agricultural Transformation and Energy Transition for a Resilient SADC." Over the course of five days, the SADC Senior Officials Committee reviewed the organization's financial situation, the level of implementation of Council and Summit decisions, and the issue of resource mobilization.
Regional food and nutrition security issues and the implementation status of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 were also discussed. The RISDP 2020-2030, approved by the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government in August 2020, outlines policies and strategies to achieve SADC's long-term objectives, including regional integration. It includes priority areas such as peace, security, good governance, industrial development, market integration, infrastructure development, social capital, and cross-cutting issues like gender, youth, environment and climate change, and disaster risk management.
The Angolan delegation to the Senior Officials' meeting was led by SADC National Secretary Fl¡via Lutucuta and included Beatriz Morais, Angola's Ambassador to Botswana and Special Representative to SADC, along with experts from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Planning, Finance, and Industry and Commerce.
The SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials acts as a technical advisory body to the Council of Ministers and coordinates the Council of Ministers' agenda. The Council of Ministers is tasked with overseeing the functioning and development of SADC and ensuring the proper implementation of the regional bloc's policies.
The Republic of Madagascar is set to assume the rotating presidency of the Southern African Development Community during the 45th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government, taking place in the Malagasy capital, replacing Zimbabwe. SADC is a Regional Economic Organization composed of 16 member states: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its mission is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socioeconomic development through efficient production systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance, and lasting peace and security, aiming for the region to emerge as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the global economy.
