Zambia: The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Inspectorate Working Group 17th Annual General Meeting (AGM) officially began on 26 July 2023 in Livingstone, Zambia.
All SADC Member states are in attendance except Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, the Kingdom of Lesotho, and the Kingdom of Eswatini. The Annual General Meeting will come to an end on 28 July 2023.
Speaking during the official opening of the SADC Defence Inspectorate Working Group (DIWG) 17th Annual General Meeting, the Zambia Air Force Commander, Colin Barry, who was the Guest of Honour, said the SADC Defence Chiefs recognize the important contribution by the DIWG in promotion of overall objectives and vision of SADC.
‘’As DIWG, you exist as a mechanism that monitors and evaluates Operations and Exercises of SADC Forces. In other words, you are the eyes, ears, voice and conscience of SADC Defence Chiefs,’’ he added.
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The Air Force Commander welcomed the delegates to Zambia and Livingstone. He added that the gathering was a testimony of the spirit of comradeship among Defence Forces in the SADC region.
He congratulated the Outgoing Chair of the DIWG, Brig Gen Boikanyo Addanes from Botswana and the entire DIWG TROIKA for steering the Working Group during his tenure of office, adding that many achievements were scored, notable among them was the inspection of SADC Troops in Mozambique.
‘’I do not doubt that the Incoming Chairperson of DIWG will leverage on your experiences as he moves this important group to higher heights,’’ the Air Commander added.
The Air Force Commander urged the delegates to be constructive and stay focused as they deliberate on important matters on the agenda adding that the collective wisdom, knowledge and experiences were critical to the overall performance of SADC forces wherever they trained or deployed.
He implored the visiting delegates to find time out of their busy schedule and sample the tourist attractions that the beautiful city of Livingstone is endowed with.
And speaking earlier, the Incoming Chairperson for the SADC Defence Inspectorate Working Group (DIWG), Brigadier General Nambula MUNDIA, officially welcomed all the delegates and emphasized the mandate of the SADC Defence Inspectorate Working Group 17th Annual General Meeting, which is an entity that is responsible for guaranteeing assurance and consulting services designed to add value and improve the SADC organizational capabilities.
SADC Defence Inspectorate Working Group (DIWG) discussed a wide range of issues of interest to SADC Member States at bilateral, regional, and global levels. The Commission reiterated its commitment to ensuring that the Defence and Security Wings of the SADC Member States remained steadfast in securing these interests.
The Defence Inspectorate was formed to conduct inspections on the SADC Standby Force and to report its readiness to the Defence Sub Committee, made up of Chiefs of the Defence/ Armed Forces of the SADC member states. The DIWG also conducts regular inspections at Regional Peacekeeping Training Centres and reports on whether the objectives of the set curriculum are being met.