Bill Watch 46/2019
SADC Summit in Dar es Salaam
17th to 18th August
22 August 2019
BILL WATCH 46/2019
[22nd August 2019]
SADC Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 17th - 18th August
The 39th Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) was held at the Julius Nyerere
International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
last weekend. All sixteen SADC member States were represented.
New SADC Leadership August 2019 – August 2020
Under the Treaty establishing SADC each country holds the position of
chairperson for a year on a strictly rotational basis. The posts are assigned to
countries in rotation to ensures that each member State has its turn. Except for
the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, the member State that
holds the Summit Troika chair automatically provides the chairpersons of the
subsidiary SADC institutions. The SADC Treaty lays down, however, that SADC
chairperson cannot simultaneously chair the Organ.
President Magufuli of Tanzania to be SADC Chairperson
In accordance with the SADC rotation system the Summit welcomed President
Magufuli of the United Republic of Tanzania as the new SADC
chairperson. President Nyusi of Mozambique was welcomed as SADC deputy
chairperson for the year 2019-2020 and will assume the chair at the August 2020
Summit. The outgoing SADC chairperson, President Geingob of Namibia, will be
the third member of the Summit Troika which functions as the steering committee
between meetings is responsible for decision-making, facilitating implementation
of decisions and providing policy directions.
President Mnangagwa to be Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence
and Security Cooperation
Also in accordance with the SADC rotation system, the Summit welcomed
President Mnangagwa as the chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and
Security Cooperation. President Masisi of Botswana is the Organ deputy
chairperson. The outgoing Organ chairperson, President Lungu of Zambia, will
automatically be the third member of the Organ Troika. Again these three – the
Organ Troika – will function as the steering committee of the Organ between
meetings.
The full text of the Summit Communiqué is available on the Veritas website
[link]. What follows are a few selected highlights.
Theme of the 39th Summit of Heads of State and Government,
“A Conducive Environment of Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development,
Increased Intra-Regional Trade and Job Creation’’
The Summit noted the progress made on the implementation of the SADC
Industrialisation Strategy and approved the Protocol on Industry which aims to