PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has urged for regional and global partnership as Zimbabwe moves closer to achieving Vision 2030’s goal of becoming a middle-income country.
Mnangagwa made the recommendation while giving a speech at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (Ciftis).
He confirmed that the ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business’ mantra is more than just a tagline, and he encouraged the international community to come and invest in the country.
“The organisation of the Summit yet again, under the constricted environment of the Covid-19 pandemic demonstrates China’s continued commitment to partnering with nations of the world to strengthen global trade in services and further facilitate global economic recovery,” Mnangagwa said.
“I also wish to appreciate the excellent bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and China under our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework. Zimbabwe is dedicated to working with China and indeed the rest of the world to foster an open and inclusive environment for socio-economic cooperation.
“Zimbabwe stands ready to strengthen international cooperation in the field of trade in services. We are situated in a strategic location in Southern Africa for regionally targeted investments. This can be taken advantage of under the Belt and Road Initiative. Zimbabwe’s huge natural resource base, educated and skilled workforce are also attractive investment incentives.
The Summit’s theme was “Towards a Digital Future and Service-Driven Development,” which the President said was timely given that the global financial system is increasingly becoming technology- and service-driven.
“Equally important are open, transparent and inclusive economic environments which promote the flow of production factors and enhance cross-border connectivity. To this end, my country continues to make notable milestones in improving the business environment, informed by the global economic imperatives and in line with our national, regional and continental agenda. Zimbabwe is promoting greater trade policy harmonisation as well as transparent governance and more inclusive growth. The prioritisation of innovations across all sectors has had far-reaching impacts on the economy,” he said.
“The vision of transforming Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy by 2030 envisages a modern, efficient and well-developed infrastructure to leapfrog Zimbabwe’s trade and economic transformation.
“There are opportunities for investment in energy and power generation; transport infrastructure and ICTs among others. We remain grateful for the support extended by the Chinese Government towards Zimbabwe’s socio-economic development.”
“In the health services sector, Zimbabwe looks forward to increased cooperation with China and other partners and investors in promoting science-based epidemic prevention and control systems, as well as innovation of medical technologies…My Government has thus, identified the digital economy as a strategic aspect in the journey to become an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
Furthermore, my country has developed the Smart Zimbabwe 2030 Master Plan to drive the pace of ICT innovations whilst addressing changing public needs and evolving global trends…Zimbabwe is spearheading Smart Agriculture in Africa that will guide the development of e-agriculture strategies.”
