Tax said that leaders from the 16 member states of SADC urged the bloc to prioritise the implementation of the SADC regional counter-terrorism strategy and its action plan.

He said that the leaders also agreed to jointly address maritime security threats such as piracy and maritime terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal carrying and trafficking of weapons.

“The leaders agreed to jointly address these security threats as part of the SADC maritime security strategy,” Tax said.

He added that the leaders urged SADC member states to implement comprehensive response plans to tackle the recurrent drought and food insecurity in the region.

According to Tax, the leaders observed an overall decline in food production in the region during the 2018 to 2019 cropping season.

, said the communique issued.

The leaders noted with great concern the slow growth in the intra-SADC trade levels, saying that the region continued to export unprocessed raw materials to the rest of the world, forfeiting the potential benefits of the resource endowments.

“To this effect, the leaders agreed to accelerate the implementation of the industrialization strategy,” Tax stated.

The 39th summit was held under the theme “A Conducive Environment for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development, Increased Intra-Trade, and Job Creation.” (Xinhua/NAN)

YEE

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(Edited by Emmanuel Yashim)