Malawi's capital Lilongwe is today hosting the 41st Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The meeting will be held in a hybrid model, that is, in a face-to-face and virtual format, due to the limitations imposed by the covid-19 pandemic.

The meeting will be held under the motto "Strengthening Manufacturing Capacity in the Face of the Covid-19 Pandemic for Inclusive and Sustainable Economic and Industrial Transformation."

During the summit, the Mozambican head of state, Filipe Nyusi, will hand over the rotating presidency of SADC to his Malawian counterpart, Lazarus Chakwera.

Mozambique will present the report of its presidency of the organization and the progress made in promoting regional integration.

The meeting will elect the new executive secretary of SADC to replace Stergomena Lawrence Tax after eight years in the position.

The 41st SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government takes place at a time when the organization has deployed, for the first time in its history, a military mission to combat the armed groups operating in the province of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique.

SADC is made up of 16 countries: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Lusa Agency