Southern African heads of state and government met in Antananarivo to chart a new roadmap for regional integration.
The 45th summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) marked the handover of the chairmanship from Zimbabwe to Madagascar, which assumes leadership for the first time.
Discussions focused on how to increase trade among the bloc's 16 countries, reduce external dependence and move towards a more industrialised and competitive economic model.
This year's theme underlines the need to modernise agriculture, boost local value chains and ensure an energy transition that leaves no one behind.
At the opening, several leaders stressed that the region's future lies in transforming its raw materials into higher value-added products, generating employment and domestic benefits.
The meeting also addressed security challenges, in particular the violence in eastern DRC, where SADC seeks to coordinate efforts with other African blocs.
Source: sadc.int; indep-reporter.com