President Michael Sata has today
left for the 32nd Ordinary Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Heads
of State and Government Summit in Mozambique Maputo where he is expected to
deliver his maiden speech on Friday.
The President took off at Kenneth
Kaunda Airport in Lusaka at around 10:20 hours this morning aboard the
Presidential Challenger.
President Sata was seen off by
Republican Vice President Guy Scot, Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda,
Defense Minister Geoffrey Mwamba, Lusaka Province Minister Gerry Chanda, Deputy
Secretary to Cabinet Teddy Mulonga, Defense chiefs and other senior government
officials.
President Sata is accompanied by
First Lady Christine Kaseba and other senior government officials.
According to a programme released
by Zambia’s High Commissioner to Mozambique Japhen Mwakalombe, Malawi’s
President Joyce Banda and Lesotho’s Prime Minister Motsoahae Thabane are also
expected to deliver their maiden speeches.
The 32nd Ordinary Southern Africa
Development Community (SADC) summit will also see host country’s President
Armando Guebuza take over the SADC chairmanship from Angolan President Jose
Eduardo dos Santos.
At the same event President
dosSantos is expected to present prizes for regional winners of the SADC
2011Essay Competition and Media Awards before issuing a keynote address and
handover the SADC chairpersons Badge to President Guebuza.
On Friday evening President Sata
is expected to join other Heads of State and First Ladies at a State banquet
which will be hosted at State House in the Indian Oceanic-breeze-port city of
Maputo.
The First Lady Ms. Kaseba will
also join other First Ladies from SADC region to discuss various issues
including HIV/AIDS pandemic which will focus on mother to child transmission of
the disease.
The summit is expected to close
on Saturday after the signing of legal instruments.
ZANIS
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