Mnangagwa hands over SADC chairmanship at 45th Summit

SADC Chairman, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, is expected to arrive today for the regional bloc's 45th Summit of Heads of State and Government, where he will hand over leadership to Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina. The handover tomorrow will mark the end of Mnangagwa's tenure at the helm of SADC, which officials have described as highly successful and impactful.

The summit, being held under the theme "Advancing industrialisation, agricultural transformation and energy transition for a resilient SADC", is seen as a historic moment for Madagascar, which joined the bloc in 2005. Heads of State from across the region, including Tanzania's Samia Suluhu Hassan, Botswana's Duma Boko, Zambia's Hakainde Hichilema, Namibia's Nandi Netumbo-Ndaitwah, Malawi's Lazarus Chakwera, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, Mozambique's Daniel Chapo and Eswatini's King Mswati III, have confirmed their attendance.

According to the SADC Secretariat, leaders will review the implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030, deliberate on political and security matters, and assess progress under the outgoing summit theme: "Promoting innovation to unlock opportunities for sustained economic growth and development towards an industrialised SADC."

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira said the Heads of State agenda has been finalised and will be formally adopted during tomorrow's proceedings.

Mnangagwa's chairmanship saw significant milestones, including strengthened regional integration, closer coordination with the East African Community on the DRC peace process, and a continued push for the "silencing of guns" on the continent. He co-chaired key summits with EAC leaders, paving the way for the African Union to assume a central role in addressing instability in eastern DRC.

The Zimbabwean leader also presided over the official handover of the SADC Secretariat Headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana, and the groundbreaking of the 19-hectare SADC Standby Force Regional Logistics Depot in Rasesa.

Today, ahead of the main summit, the SADC Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation will convene to deliberate on regional security challenges.

Tomorrow, Mnangagwa will officially pass the baton to President Rajoelina, bringing the curtain down on a chairmanship that has been hailed for boosting regional cooperation, peace efforts, and infrastructure development.