The 2003 summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) opened in Dar Essalaam on Monday morning to coordinate the macro-economic development in the region.

During the two-day summit, which is expected to end on Tuesday,14 heads of state and government or their representatives will discuss the issues of the economic, social and political developments in the region, progress reports on HIV/AIDS and the implementation of the restructuring of SADC institutions.

Thirteen heads of state and government out of the 14 member states arrived Dar Essalaam to attend the summit. Seychelles sent its foreign minister to attend.

Tanzania has also invited officials from the United Nations, the African Union, the Economic Commission for Africa, the Economic Community of West African States, and the East African Community.

SADC was established in August 1992 in Windhoek, Namibia, to replace the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC).

It currently groups 14 member states, which are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The SADC region is rich in human, natural, agricultural and mineral resources. A free trade protocol was signed by the SADC countries in 1996.

(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2003)