ED takes over as SADC chairman

STAFF WRITER

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has assumed chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) taking over from President João Lourenço of Angola, Business Times can report.

President Mnangagwa announced in his inaugural speech that he was taking over as SADC chairman “with humility and grace” in order to further the regional agenda.

With the guiding principle that “a country is built, governed, and prayed for by its people,” he inspired member states to have faith in their own capacities and establish their nations independently.

“Ultimately, the burden and responsibility to build our countries and the region as a whole for sustainable prosperity lies with us, the great peoples of SADC,”  President Mnangagwa said.

He added: “In Zimbabwe, our development philosophy is that a country is built, governed and prayed for by its people”.

“Likewise, our region, SADC, will be modernised and industrialised by its own citizens, through our individual and collective efforts.

“Those who seek to help us are welcome. However, they must do so on our terms, guided by our priorities and respecting our sovereignty.

“I, therefore, challenge my fellow citizens of the region to remain unapologetic and confident in who we are, as a people and in our God-given abilities.

“Through unity and hard honest work, nothing is impossible.”

President Mnangagwa  said the theme of the 44th SADC Heads of State and Government Summit must inspire the region to improve the lives of its citizens.

“This year’s theme, ‘Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development Towards an Industrialised SADC’, brings to the fore the role of innovation in sustained economic transformation and development.

“It is a clarion call for our respective countries to leverage on the region’s human capital to spur technology and innovation that will leapfrog the modernisation and industrialisation of SADC towards a higher quality of life of our citizens,” President Mnangagwa said.

He urged SADC countries to explore strategies that ensure they derive maximum value from their natural endowments.

“To this end, it has become critically important and urgent to harness the potential of innovation to produce goods and services through value addition and beneficiation of our rich mineral and related natural resources.

“The peoples of the region fought for our liberation, freedom and independence, as well as the economic value of our land and that which is under it.

“The time is now. We must realise maximum value from our God-given rich natural endowments.

“The importance of deploying innovative strategies across all sectors of our economies to accelerate the realisation of our collective development agenda cannot be overemphasised.”