Ambassadors of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) accredited to the United States met with SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
En anglais
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the World Bank Spring Meetings and provided an opportunity for the Executive Secretary to share information on decisions taken by Member States in recent months regarding infrastructure projects, particularly the Smart Corridors currently being developed across the region, as well as the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Regarding the conflict in the DRC, the Executive Secretary highlighted Angola’s role, particularly the Luanda Process, as well as SADC’s engagement in efforts to find solutions to the conflict in the country.
He also highlighted cooperation between SADC Member States and the European Union and the United States of America, noting that dialogue platforms are in place to facilitate the establishment of trade agreements for the benefit of the region.
According to the Executive Secretary, the region needs to diversify its partners and sources of financing in order to advance its economic development. He stressed the importance of developing a common regional strategy, while taking into account the individual initiatives of each Member State, as well as the need to promote greater trade among countries in the region.
For their part, the SADC Ambassadors briefed the Executive Secretary on their engagement with the new U.S. Administration, particularly regarding the immigration situation affecting citizens of SADC Member States in the context of the mass deportation measures announced by the U.S. Administration.
