Angola, Mozambique and South Africa will launch the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Group in Vietnam on November 30.

The launch was announced in a joint press briefing held by the Embassies of Angola, Mozambique and South Africa in Hanoi on November 29.

According to Mozambique Ambassador Gamiliel Munuamble, the Group will create a platform for SEDC member countries to meet and exchange views and information on a number of issues pertaining to the organisation, as well as coordinate actions within the context of the relationship with the host state and other international partners residing in the country.

The SADC Group in Hanoi will focus on promoting and coordinating SADC policies to its member countries in Vietnam, while stepping up the SADC international agenda of cooperation by identifying international partners and promoting the organisation’s potential. It will promote cooperation between SADC and Vietnam as well as with regional economic organisations including ASEAN.

SADC, currently chaired by Mozambique, was created in April, 1980. Initially the Southern Africa Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), it later turned into the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) in August, 1992.

The SADC Community is composed of 15 countries: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe which have a total population of 257.7 million and a GDP of 471.1 billion USD.-VNA