President of Malawi who is also the Chairperson of Southern Africa Development Community ( SADC), Dr Lazarus Macarthy Chakwera, has asked private and public sectors and all SADC representatives to deliberate on issues of industrialization in order to improve the region’s economy and increase intra SADC trade.

Chakwera made the call on Monday when he opened the 5th SADC Industrialization Week and Exhibition under the theme “Bolstering Productive Capacities in the face of covid 19 Pandemic for inclusive Sustainable Economic and industrial Transformation”.

” In the past years, the SADC region has not been able to industrialize due to lack of productive capacity and with the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic hence the value of intra-Sadc trade remained very low ” Chakwera said.

He added that industrialization is one of the main pillars in improving the economic status of the country and there is need to step up and bring forward improved strategies for economic transformation.

In his remarks, President of Mozambique, Felipe Jacinto Nyusi, said he has high expections that the conference will come up with transforming, inclusive and sustainable development strategies that will enable SADC countries import and export goods across SADC regions without tarrif barriers.

The conference is slated from 22 November to 26 November.