The President of Angola, João Lourenço, has begun his one-year term at the helm of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) with a clear vision and a vehement call to action. His inauguration, marked by a firm speech, focused chiefly on the need to accelerate the implementation of the Development Fund, considered the engine of regional industrialisation.
Lourenço expressed an unequivocal commitment to diversifying sources of funding, with the clear aim of easing dependence on international partners. He stressed the imperative of making the Regional Development Fund operational, seeing in it a vital lever for the region's economic transformation.
In his address, he outlined the contours of an ambitious term of office that envisages robust investment on several fronts. He spoke of electrification, stepping up the production of ethanol and food, and the interconnection of energy grids, as part of an integrated strategy aimed at boosting trade and the movement of people and goods in the member countries.
Angola, a land of vast resources and ambitions, seems to be on an accelerated march, shaping its destiny with long, firm strides. It is rising on strategic pillars, investing in the construction of infrastructure that will be the country's arteries, such as the imposing Lobito corridor. The commitment extends to clean energy, a breath of renewal, and to technological innovation, as exemplified by the promising fibre-optic cable that will stretch its strands connecting Angola to its neighbours, in a regional web of progress.
But João Lourenço did not stop at inert matter; he spoke of the essence of the future, of human capital. He spoke of young people, the heirs of the nation, and of the vital need to prepare them for the fourth industrial revolution. He spoke with passion, his gaze fixed on the horizon, where he sees a skilled generation embracing the labour market, heading for a future where opportunity is not a luxury, but an acquired right.
The shadow of instability hangs over the region, and the Angolan President did not ignore it. He addressed the delicate situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and praised the joint efforts to resolve the conflicts.
Particular emphasis was given to the situation in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. João Lourenço was positive about the progress made, but maintained a tone of concern in the face of the persistence of terrorism. He praised the decision to keep the SADC mission in Mozambique, a clear demonstration of regional commitment to stability.
The SADC, now under Angola's resolute leadership, faces the challenge of monitoring elections in countries such as the DRC, Eswatini, Madagascar and Zimbabwe. A challenge that, according to João Lourenço, will be met with principles of peace, freedom and justice, in keeping with the values that govern the region.
