17 Aug 2021

SADC member states need to pool their resources and accelerate regional integration initiatives in order to strengthen capacity in the face of skewed global relations. 

The views were expressed by Malawi President Dr Lazarus Chakwera in his maiden speech as the incoming SADC chairperson at the bloc’s 41st ordinary summit in Lilongwe yesterday.

Introducing the theme “Bolstering Productive Capacities In The Face Of COVID-19 Pandemic For Inclusive Sustainable Economic And Industrial Transformation”, Dr Chikwera said regional unity was imperative.

He said the skewed distribution of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide  showed that the global political and economic framework still regarded “Africans as second class citizens, some nationalities as more special and some human lives as more worthy of saving than others”.

Dr Chikwera said time had come for Africans to stand together to reject unfair relations with the global health community, Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank and International Monetary Fund) and to insist on at least one UN Security Council permanent seat.

Dr Chikwera said SADC should value partnerships that ensured sustainable development instead of those that kept Africans reliant on “messianic” developed states.

He said SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap should be pursued to improve economic capacity and transform the region into a breadbasket of Africa.

Dr Chikwera praised outgoing SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security chairperson, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, for the “commendable progress in consolidating democracy, the rule of law, peace and security in the region.”

Earlier, outgoing SADC chair, Mozambican president, Mr Filipe Nyusi had said the COVID-19 pandemic had stretched regional public health systems to “saturation” levels.

He recommended large-scale testing, accelerating vaccine procurement and rollout,  as investment in the pharmaceutical sector and waiver of vaccine intellectual property among other interventions.

Mr Nyusi further said there was need for coordinated regional and global approach to combating COVID-19.

He thanked fellow SADC member states for their assistance during his country’s tenure and said Mozambique stood ready to reciprocate. 

Mr Nyusi expressed gratitude to Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi for officially opening the SADC Humanitarian and Operations Emergency Centre in Mozambique earlier this year as well as for launching the SADC Mission in Mozambique a few weeks ago.BOPA