Source: The Herald – Breaking news.
Farirai Machivenyika, Senior Reporter
The 44th Summit of Sadc Heads of State and Government on Saturday renewed calls for the removal of Western-imposed illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe saying the punitive measures were negatively impacting the development of not only Zimbabwe, but of the entire region.
Sadc made the call at the end of the highly successful summit hosted by Zimbabwe at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden.
Reads part of the communiqué: “Summit reiterated the regional call made at the 39th Sadc Summit for unconditional removal of sanctions imposed on the Republic of Zimbabwe and acknowledged that the sanctions continue to hinder the progress and prosperity of the people of the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Sadc region.”
Since the imposition of the illegal sanctions over 20 years ago, Zimbabwe’s economy has lost over US$40 billion in potential revenue and development assistance from multilateral lending institutions.
Britain, the European Union, the United States and other Western countries imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe after Harare embarked on land reforms to distribute farm land to empower indigenous Zimbabweans previously disadvantaged by colonial policies.
The regional grouping has since declared October 25 as the Sadc Anti-Sanctions Day in solidarity with Zimbabwe.
Apart from the call for the removal of sanctions, Sadc also noted progress in the implementation of the 43rd Sadc Summit theme.
“Summit noted progress in the implementation of the theme of the 43rd Sadc Summit of Heads of State and Government, titled ‘Human and financial capital: The key drivers for sustainable industrialisation in the Sadc region’,” reads the communique.
The leaders commended the outgoing Chairperson of Sadc, President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço for his exemplary leadership in delivering on the key areas of the theme during his tenure.
“Summit endorsed the theme of the 44th Sadc Summit of Heads of State and Government, titled ‘Promoting innovation to unlock opportunities for sustained economic growth and development towards an Industrialised Sadc’, recognising that innovation is a fundamental instrument with significant potential to drive priority sectors of manufacturing, mineral beneficiation and agro-processing to enhance industrialisation and economic growth of the SADC region.”
The summit also commended Zimbabwe for organising and hosting the 7th Annual Sadc Industrialisation Week and Exhibition held in Harare, from July 28 to August 2 in collaboration with the Sadc Secretariat, the Sadc Business Council and the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries.
The Industrialisation Week was held under the theme, “Promoting innovation to unlock opportunities for sustainable economic growth and development towards an industrialised Sadc”.
Further, the Summit also took note of the entering into force of the agreement establishing the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFCA) among the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community and Sadc on July 25 this year, providing opportunities for Sadc member States to tap into an expanded market of 26 countries, a population of about 700 million and a GDP of US$1 trillion.
The summit adopted and signed the SADC Declaration on the Protection of Persons with Albinism, signifying the collective resolve of Sadc member states to take necessary measures at the regional and national levels to address the challenges faced by persons with albinism.
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