SADC heads of state to gather
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) will hold its 46th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government in Durban, South Africa, on 17 August.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will host and chair the summit at the Durban International Conference Centre, under the theme "Resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation through infrastructure development, agricultural and critical minerals transformation in pursuit of a just world."
The theme centres on using infrastructure, agriculture and critical minerals to drive industrialisation across the 16-member bloc, of which Namibia is a founding member.
For Namibia, a country positioning itself as a critical minerals and green hydrogen hub, the summit's focus on minerals transformation lands close to home.
Leaders will review the state of the region's economy against SADC's Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030 and Vision 2050, and assess progress on decisions taken at last year's summit in Antananarivo, Madagascar, which focused on industrialisation, agriculture and energy transition.
The agenda also covers the operationalisation of the SADC Regional Development Fund, regional food security and disaster preparedness, and the impact of global geopolitical shifts on the region.
The summit follows weeks of preparatory meetings, beginning with SADC Industrialisation Week from 27 July and running through senior officials, ministerial and Council of Ministers meetings in early-to-mid August. A summit of the Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation takes place on 16 August, alongside a public lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a wreath-laying ceremony honouring South African liberation heroes.
As SADC's supreme policy-making body, the summit sets the bloc's strategic direction on cooperation, integration and development for the year ahead.
