The 6th meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Committee of Ambassadors and High Commissioners was held on the 1st August 2018 at the SADC Secretariat Head Office in Gaborone, Botswana.
The SADC Committee of Ambassadors and High Commissioners (CAHC) consists of SADC Member States Ambassadors accredited to Botswana and SADC. The role of the committees is to undertake a liaison role between the Secretariat and Member States as well as facilitation of information dissemination, interaction and consultation between the two institutions.
The South Africa’s High Commissioner to Botswana and Chairperson of CAHC, Her Excellency Rosemary Mashaba called for a meaningful integration through coordinated trade and investment opportunities by ensuring regional stability and greater economic co-operation.
She also pointed out that during the last year financial year, awareness of the SADC industrialisation agenda had increased and this supported acceleration of the regional efforts in the implementing programmes which are aimed at strengthening continental integration and achieving the vision of a connected prosperous African continent.
The Deputy Executive Secretary of SADC, Dr. Thembinkosi Mhlongo mentioned that the August 2018 Council and the 38th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government meetings will take place from the 9th to 20th August 2018, in Windhoek, Namibia under the theme: “Promoting infrastructural development and youth empowerment for sustainable development”. He pointed out that arrangements to host these meetings were on course and the Secretariat was looking forward to a resounding success for proceedings which will significantly contribute to the goal of achieving the SADC Common Agenda of Regional Integration and Poverty Reduction.
The CAHC received a progress reports on the status of finances and the performance of the Secretariat during the 2017/18 financial year, recruitment on vacant positions and other human resource related matters. Other notable matters they received reports on and deliberated were on energy and water sectors, food and naturals resources as well as the SADC-EU Ministerial Political Dialogue held in March 2018 in the Republic of South Africa. The Committee also received reports and deliberated on the Security situation in the region.
