Zimbabwe, Botswana ink 10 deals TO ignite new trade roadmap
Source: Zimbabwe, Botswana ink 10 deals TO ignite new trade roadmap – herald Zvamaida Murwira, zvamaida.murwira@zimpapers.co.zw ZIMBABWE and Botswana yesterday signed 10 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Agreement (MoAs) in various economic and social sectors, with President Mnangagwa saying the agreements must serve as instruments for accelerated trade, enhanced investment flows, industrial collaboration and […]
ZIMBABWE and Botswana yesterday signed 10 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Agreement (MoAs) in various economic and social sectors, with President Mnangagwa saying the agreements must serve as instruments for accelerated trade, enhanced investment flows, industrial collaboration and sustainable development.
President Mnangagwa and his Botswana counterpart, Advocate Duma Gideon Boko, presided over the Fifth Bi-National Commission between the two countries, during which 10 agreements were signed at State House.
President Mnangagwa
The commission’s session was preceded by a tete-à-tete meeting between the two leaders, where they exchanged notes on co-operation between the two countries before going into a closed session to deliberate on the BNC, a meeting attended by delegates from the two countries.
The MoAs signed include Defence Co-operation and the Training Exchange Programme, Transfer of Sentenced Persons and Co-ordination of Aeronautical Search and Rescue Services.
MoUs signed involved Police Co-operation in Combating Livestock Theft and Other Cross-Border Crimes, Immigration Co-operation, Co-operation in the Field of Prisons and Correctional Services, Co-operation and Assistance in the Field of Civil Aircraft Accident and Serious Incident Investigation, and Co-operation in the Promotion of Co-operatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development.
The list also includes Economic Trade and Investment Promotion and Collaboration in the Museum of African Liberation.
Advocate Duma Gideon Boko
In his closing remarks, President Mnangagwa said the outcomes of the BNC were both instructive and forward-looking as they showed the two countries’ shared resolve to transform the longstanding political relations into a more dynamic, results-driven economic partnership.
“The agreements and Memoranda of Understanding signed today must now serve as instruments for accelerated trade, enhanced investment flows, industrial collaboration and sustainable development. The task before us is clear.
We must move with urgency from agreement to implementation,” said President Mnangagwa.
He directed Ministries to prioritise the expeditious operationalisation of the Plumtree/Ramokgwebana One-Stop Border Post, supported by modern, efficient and integrated border management systems to facilitate seamless movement of goods and people.
Other areas include the swift finalisation of outstanding legal instruments, including the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, to create a predictable and competitive investment climate, and the decisive removal of non-tariff barriers, particularly those affecting agricultural trade.
This will help unlock the full potential of the two countries’ economies, fast-tracking strategic infrastructure projects, notably railway connectivity and logistics corridors, as enablers of regional value chains and industrialisation.
Other priorities include agricultural co-operation, especially in livestock disease control, agro-processing and food security, as critical pillars of rural transformation and resilience.
“These priorities must be pursued with clear timelines, defined responsibilities and measurable outcomes.
“The credibility of this Bi-National Commission will be judged not by the number of agreements we sign, but by the speed, quality and impact of their implementation. We must, therefore, institutionalise a culture of delivery,” said President Mnangagwa.
“In this regard, we commit to strengthening monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, with regular progress reviews at both technical and political levels, enhancing co-ordination across our Ministries, Departments and Agencies to eliminate duplication and delays and establish clear accountability frameworks to ensure that agreed decisions translate into tangible results.”
He said there was a need to leverage the BNC platform to promote joint ventures, facilitate private sector partnerships and expand cross-border investment opportunities, particularly in mining, energy, manufacturing, tourism and infrastructure development.
“So migration has been informed by these exigencies. We have developed skills in mining in Botswana; we believe that these skills, like extraction, are exportable; they can come to Zimbabwe because mining houses have opportunities, so migration in that sense is a very good thing,” he said.
President Boko implored the media to report responsibly and not to denounce their countries and the African continent.
He encouraged the media to speak and report positively on developmental stories in Africa, noting that foreign media had a tendency to describe Africa as an area of starvation and pestilence.
President Boko said it was the responsibility of African media to correct the narrative and depict Africa as a continent on the rise and on a development trajectory.
“You must carry storylines that indicate the positive. You must not pander to the whims and caprices of the foreign media that tends to describe Africa as an area of pity, starvation and pestilence. And yet there are so many epic stories of success in the lives of our people,” said President Boko.
Zimbabwe and Botswana enjoy warm bilateral relations dating back to the liberation struggle
