The Embassies of SADC countries celebrated yesterday at the Embassy of Zimbabwe in Kigali the SADC Day under the Theme “Promoting Innovation and Industrialization, and these countries are: Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, DRC and Zimbabwe. The delegate of Rwanda was Mrs. Teta Gisa, Director General of the Africa Department within the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read the speech delivered by the Ambassador of Zimbabwe in Rwanda, Charity Munyeruke:
On behalf of the Heads of Diplomatic Missions Group of SADC Member States (HDMG/SADC) and indeed on my own behalf, I warmly welcome the Hounorable Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, our Guest of Honour and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Rwanda and his esteemed Delegation. I am honoured to welcome you all to the belated SADC Day Celebrations, which falls on 17 August every year. The SADC Day is commemorated every year following the historic decision of the 14th SADC Summit in August 1994 which declared 17 August as SADC Day in honour of the good works done by our Organization to promote development and unity in the Region.
The Day offers an opportunity for SADC Member States to reflect on the progress made in the implementation of the SADC Regional Integration Agenda.
Our belated SADC Day Celebrations, follows a memorable 44th Ordinary SADC Summit which was successfully held on 17 August 2024 in Harare, Republic of Zimbabwe during which His Excellency, Cde. Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, took over as Chairman of SADC for the next one year to August 2025.
Consequently, the Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe in the Republic of Rwanda assumed the Chairperson of the Heads of Diplomatic Missions Group of SADC Member States (HDMG/SADC). We are indeed honoured to be hosting all of you today.
It is therefore with great honour and humility that I belatedly convey to you all best wishes on the SADC Day 2024. Fellow Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Charge D’ Affairs; This Year’s Theme adopted at the recently concluded Ordinary SADC Summit, “Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development towards an Industrialized SADC” brings to the fore the role of innovation in sustained economic transformation and development.
We call on all Member States to implement regional programmes and projects in line with the Theme. It is a clarion call for our respective countries to leverage the Region’s Human Capital, to spur technology and innovation that will leap -frog the modernization and industrialization of SADC, towards a higher quality of life of our citizens.
The importance of deploying innovative strategies, across all sectors of our economies to accelerate the realization of our collective development agenda cannot be over-emphasized.
Our institutions of higher learning, the academia, scientists and innovators must equally strengthen linkages to further drive the innovation, modernization and industrialization of our region. As SADC, our development priorities are hinged on industrialization with value addition and beneficiation of our minerals as important aspects.
One of our key priorities is to ensure that our youth, women and entrepreneurs fully embrace technology and innovation.
Through purposeful collaboration in the ICT sector, we can advance our collective interests as a Region, including closing the digital divide.
The SADC Vision is one of a common future, within a regional community, which ensures economic well-being, improvement of the standards of living, quality of life, freedom and social justice; peace and security for all the peoples of Southern Africa. Our people should always be at the centre of everything we do as Member States. The requisite instruments have been put in place in that regard, namely the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) and the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO).
Since its establishment, the SADC Region achieved a number of milestones that we all take pride in. Notwithstanding the achievements, I take this opportunity to exhort Officials from the Member States including Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Charge D’ Affairs to intensify efforts to popularize SADC, its role and mandate as encapsulated in the SADC Treaty.
Apart from positive developments and economic growth within the region, regrettably, the Region continues to face new challenges such as the climate change induced natural disasters which have had far reaching negative impacts on human and food security. In light of the lessons learnt, investments in transformative agriculture and food systems, should be scaled up. Through robust climate mitigation strategies and resilience building mechanisms, we must continually strive to be a region capable of feeding ourselves.
As we commemorate SADC Day 2024, let us all reflect on our relations with the Government of the Republic of Rwanda. From the onset, I wish to convey our appreciation, through you Honourable Minister, to His Excellency Paul Kagame, the Government and the People of the Republic Rwanda for the warm hospitality. Indeed, this augurs well for the continued strengthening of bilateral relations with the SADC Region and bilateral levels, in particular. It is a fact that the SADC Region is among the highest on Diplomatic Representation in Africa with about Six Resident Embassies in the Republic of Rwanda. Our relationship with the Host Country is characterized by high level exchanges and economic cooperation.
For example, Seven Heads of State and Government from the Republic of Zimbabwe; Angola: Madagascar: Mozambique; Seychelles; Eswatini and United Republic of Tanzania attended and witnessed the Presidential Inauguration of His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda on 11 August 2024. Other SADC countries were also represented at Ministerial Level. Undoubtedly, their presence fostered a sense of solidarity and shared identity between SADC and the Republic of Rwanda.
I wish you all, a Happy, Healthy and Productive SADC Day.
I THEREFORE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INVITE YOU ALL RAISE YOUR GLASSES TO A TOAST IN HONOUR OF SADC DAY 2024.
Long live SADC Peace, Unity, Solidarity, Independence and Freedom.
Long Live Cooperation and Collaboration between SADC Member States and the Republic of Rwanda. (End)