President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday travel to Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to participate in the forty-second Ordinary Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit of Heads State and Government.

The summit will take place on August 17 and 18 and regional leaders will deliberate on the region’s development under the theme “Promoting industrialisation through, agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, and regional value chains for inclusive and resilient economic growth”.

DRC President Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo will take over the chairpersonship of SADC from Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera.

Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the SADC member States will be updated on the progress made in the implementation of strategic policies and previous Summit decisions, since the last meeting in 2021.

He said the theme of this year’s summit underscored efforts to strengthen the implementation of the 2020  – 2030 SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan.

South Africa leverages the SADC as its primary foreign policy vehicle for achieving regional development and integration.

Magwenya said Ramaphosa, in his capacity as the outgoing Chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation and Facilitator of the Lesotho Peace Process, will lead discussions of the SADC Organ Troika Summit, which is responsible for promoting peace and security in the region.

Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Naledi Pandor; Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele and Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thabang Makwetla.

Given the frequency of natural disasters in the region, Magwenya said the Summit is expected to adopt a Memorandum of Agreement on the establishment and operationalisation of the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre, to be hosted in Mozambique.

In recognising the role played by non-State actors in this sector, the Summit will consider a proposed SADC Mechanism for Engagement with Non-State Actors. 

This year’s Summit will also consider the status of ratification, accession and implementation of SADC Agreements and Protocols by member States and will deliberate on a proposed amendment to a protocol on the development of tourism in the region, as well as an amendment to the SADC Treaty that entails recognition of the SADC Parliament as an SADC institution.