Photo taken on July 22, 2020, shows a closed tourism agency in Cape Town, South Africa. (Xinhua/Fred Barker)

The Southern African Development Community regional economic growth is expected to contract by about 3.8 percent in 2020, mainly due to the adverse impacts of COVID-19, a senior official said.

DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional economic growth is expected to contract by an average of about 3.8 percent in 2020, mainly due to the adverse impacts of COVID-19, a senior official said on Thursday.

Stergomena Lawrence Tax, SADC executive secretary, made the revelation in a statement to the SADC Council of Ministers virtual meeting hosted by Tanzania.

"Allow me to commend all SADC member states for the difficult decisions and the rigorous measures put in place to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19, reduce human suffering, and minimize the damage to SADC economies," she said.

Photo taken on July 22, 2020, shows South African Museum and Planetarium without tourists visiting in Cape Town, South Africa. (Xinhua/Fred Barker)

Speaking shortly before he handed over the SADC Council of Ministers chair to Mozambique, Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Palamagamba Kabudi, said Tanzania's chairmanship managed to make the regional unity and vision intact.

"As I hand over the SADC Council of Ministers chair to Mozambican foreign affairs minister, I believe that the SADC agenda on industrialization will remain the key area of focus," said Kabudi.

SADC is an inter-governmental organization established in 1992 to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among its 16 member states. ■