40th SADC Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government to be held virtually

The 40th Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and preceding meetings will be held virtually from the 10th to the 17th of August, 2020.

In view of the challenges posed by the COVID 19 Pandemic, the Summit and preceding meetings will be conducted virtually with a reduced agenda, focusing on the hand-over of the SADC Chairperson-ship, and critical Institutional matters. The Republic of Mozambique will host the virtual meetings as the Incoming Chair of the 16 Member regional economic bloc.

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 SADC Summit is made up of all SADC Heads of States or Government and is managed on a Troika system that comprises the current SADC Chairperson, the incoming Chairperson and the immediate previous Chairperson. The Ordinary SADC Summit usually meets once a year around August or September in a Member State of the incoming SADC Chairperson.

The current SADC troika comprises of H.E Dr John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, as the Chairperson of SADC; his predecessor H.E Dr Hage G. Geingob, the President of the Republic of Namibia as the Outgoing Chairperson and H.E. Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, the President of the Republic of Mozambique as the Incoming Chairperson. The troika for the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation comprises
of H.E. President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa of the Republic of Zimbabwe as the Chairperson of the Organ; his predecessor H.E. President Edgar Chagwa Lungu of the Republic of Zambia as the Outgoing Chairperson of the Organ and H.E Dr. Mokgweetsi  Masisi the President of the Republic of Botswana as the Incoming Chairperson of the
Organ.  The Republic of Mozambique last hosted the SADC Summit in 2012, under the Chairpersonship of former President Armando Emílio Guebuza. The Ordinary SADC Summit will be proceeded by the meeting of the SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials; the SADC Finance Committee; SADC Council of Ministers Meeting; as well as
the Organ Troika Senior Officials, and Ministerial Council of the Organ Troika, and the and Troika Summit. Meetings preceding the 40th SADC Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government Monday 10 August Meeting of the SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials Tuesday 11 August Meeting of the SADC Finance Committee Thursday 13 August SADC Council of Ministers Meeting Friday14 August Organ Troika Summit preceded by the Meeting of Senior Officials and Ministerial Committee of the Organ Troika Monday 17 August Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government The Opening and Closing Ceremony of the Summit will be broadcast live by Televisão de Moçambique (TVM) the national public broadcaster of Mozambique. SADC in Brief SADC is an organisation of 16 Member States established in 1980 as the Southern African Development Coordinating Conference and later in August,1992 transformed into the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The mission of SADC is to
promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development through efficient, productive systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance and durable peace and security; so that the region emerges as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the world economy. Member States are
Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

For enquiries:
Ms. Barbara Lopi, Head of Communication and Public Relations or Mr. Innocent
Mbvundula, Communication and Relations Officer (External) at the SADC Secretariat;
email blopi@sadc.int or imbvundula@sadc.int
Issued by the SADC Secretariat