Tanzania’s Vice President, Dr. Philip Mpango, has lauded the country’s achievements during its one-year leadership of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.
Speaking on behalf of President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the SADC-Organ Troika Summit in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Dr. Mpango said Tanzania’s tenure has strengthened democracy and promoted good governance across the region.
During this period, Tanzania established and led four SADC Election Observation Missions in Mozambique, Botswana, Mauritius, and Namibia.
The Vice President noted that all elections were peaceful, conducted in line with SADC’s democratic principles, and praised Troika members for their support in ensuring the missions’ success.
Dr. Mpango highlighted efforts to promote peace in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by merging the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes into a single framework, coordinated by SADC and the East African Community (EAC) a first since SADC’s establishment.
He stressed the importance of African-led solutions in addressing regional challenges, including political and diplomatic initiatives under the African Union’s oversight, supported by local resources and commitment.
On security, the Vice President emphasized the threat of terrorism, noting that unchecked extremism could destabilize member states.
He highlighted the Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre (RCTC) as a key platform for training, intelligence sharing, and counter-terrorism operations. Dr. Mpango also pointed out challenges such as illegal migration, corruption, cross-border conflicts, and arms proliferation, urging collective action to ensure regional peace and stability.
He reaffirmed Tanzania’s commitment to working closely with the incoming SADC Organ Troika Chair, Malawi’s President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, to implement measures for sustainable peace and security.
On the national front, Dr. Mpango informed the summit that Tanzania will hold its general election on October 29, 2025.
Preparations by the National Electoral Commission and stakeholders are on track to ensure a peaceful, credible, and transparent process.
He invited the SADC Election Observation Mission (SEOM) to monitor the elections.
Foreign Minister and East African Cooperation Minister, Ambassador Thabit Kombo, said Tanzania has received widespread praise from SADC member states for its leadership.
He highlighted key achievements including joint SADC-EAC efforts to address the DRC conflict, resolution of crises in Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado, and other border disputes, as well as the unification of the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes under one framework.
The 45th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled for August 17, 2025, will see Tanzania hand over the SADC Organ Troika chairmanship to Malawi.