Luanda - The Head of State, João Lourenço, left the country this Friday morning, heading to Gaborone, Botswana, where he will visit the headquarters of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in his capacity as acting chairman of this regional organization.
At the airport, João Lourenço was bid farewell by the minister of State and head of the Military Affairs Office of the President of the Republic, Francisco Furtado, among other members of the government.
It is the first time that the Angolan statesman visits the SADC headquarters since assuming the rotating presidency of the organization last year in August.
In Gaborone, João Lourenço will unveil the plaque that symbolizes his visit, tour the different compartments of the institution and will also speak at a meeting he will hold with the SADC Executive Secretariat and the institution's employees.
In President João Lourenço's schedule there will also be space for a meeting with his counterpart from Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, with whom he will discuss issues linked to bilateral cooperation, considered good.
Angola assumed the rotating leadership of the organization, for the 2023-24 period, last year on August 17, during the 43rd Summit of Heads of State and Government.
In this context, the country defined as priorities for the current term of SADC presidency actions towards the valorization of human capital, issues of peace and stability, as well as the diversification of financing sources, with the aim of implementing regional projects.
As is customary, the acting president pays a visit to the headquarters, during their term of office, to obtain an assessment of the work carried out by the Secretariat, in order to facilitate the fulfillment of the community's regional integration agenda and to provide guidance on the execution of programs.
During his visit to the Secretariat, the President will be informed of the general status of SADC regional integration, the degree of implementation of regional programs and priorities issued from the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RIDSP) (2020-2030) and the Vision 2050.
The Chairperson oversees the highest level of the organization's governance structure, among others, and has the overall mandate to issue policy guidance and control the functions of SADC.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization, created in 1992, which is dedicated to socio-economic cooperation and integration in the region, as well as cooperation in political and security matters.
SADC groups Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, eSwatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
ART/CF/jmc
