President Chakwera leaves for Mozambique and Zimbabwe

Malawi leader President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has this morning left the country for Mozambique, for a two day official visit and Zimbabwe, where he is expected to attend the 44th Ordinary Summit of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government slated for Saturday 17th August, 2024 in Harare.

Speaking to the media before departure at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA), President Chakwera said the two trips demonstrates that Malawi is part of the SADC family.

Chakwera added that the two events also demonstrates that we have excellent relationship with our neighbors.

President Chakwera travels to Mozambique at the invitation of the country’s leader His Excellency, Filipe Nyusi.

During the visit, the two governments are expected to discuss matters of mutual interest leading to cementing the cordial bilateral relationship that exist between the two countries.

It is also expected that during the visit, the two countries will sign agreements in several areas of cooperation.

At the SADC Summit in Harare, President Chakwera is expected to engage other leaders in the region to advance the ideals of the Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) Strategy.

Accompanied by First Lady Madam Monica Chakwera, President Chakwera was seen off by Vice President Dr Micheal Bizwick Usi and several top government officials.

The 44th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads State and Government will be held on 17 August 2024 in Harare, Zimbabwe under the theme: “Promoting Innovation to unlock opportunities for sustained economic growth and development towards an Industrialised SADC.”

The SADC Summit is responsible for the overall policy direction and control of functions of the Community, ultimately making it the policy-making institution of SADC. The Ordinary SADC Summit is held every year and is attended by Heads of State and Government from the 16 SADC Member States namely, Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is also attended by heads of continental and regional bodies as observers.

The 44th SADC Summit will be preceded by meetings of the SADC Senior Officials and Council of Ministers who prepare the agenda for the Heads of State and Government. The SADC Council of Ministers oversees the functioning and development of SADC and ensures that policies are properly implemented.

The Council consists of Ministers from each Member State, usually from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economic Planning, or Finance.