DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is linking with China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) toward implementation of its industrialization strategy, a senior SADC official said on Sunday.

"SADC is linking with the Belt and Road Initiative toward implementation of its industrialization strategy, especially on the construction of the infrastructure," said Johansein Rutaihwa, a senior program officer for SADC secretariat on Industrialization and Competitiveness.

The official told a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam ahead of the 4th SADC Industrialization Week and Exhibition that begins on Monday that China's BRI was a perfect linkage toward SADC's initiative to industrialize.

Rutaihwa said the SADC industrialization strategy focused on agro-processing, mineral beneficiation and pharmaceuticals.

The theme of the 4th SADC Industrialization Week and Exhibition is: A Conducive Environment for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development, Increased Intra-trade and Job Creation.

The 4th SADC Industrialization Week and Exhibitions are among activities to be held ahead of the 39th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government to be held on Aug. 17 and Aug. 18.

During the summit, President John Magufuli will assume the chairmanship of SADC for a year to August 2020.

SADC was established through a treaty signed on Aug. 17, 1992 by 11 founding members in which Tanzania was a member. The SADC membership has over the years grown to 16.