Sundaymail Editor
Ambassador Per Lindgarde
ON June 6, we Swedes gather to celebrate the Swedish National Day.
National days are an occasion to reflect upon your country’s history and milestones.
So, let me propose to you a brief odyssey through the history of my country.
On this date, June 6, 501 years ago, we regained independence and got our first king to rule the entire realm.
On this date, 215 years ago, Sweden took its first trembling steps towards democratic rule, enacting a new constitution, where power was to be shared between parliament and the monarch.
On this date, 51 years ago, Swedish democracy was solidified by enshrining in the constitution that all power belongs to the people.
The king’s role, which already, in practice, had been reduced to ceremonial purposes, was now also formally made statutory.
A historical outlook can also be used to highlight the evolution of the Swedish economy.
Just 150 years ago, the country had a fully agrarian economy, where recurring bouts of cold winters caused many to perish from famine and others to try their luck by emigrating to America.
Fifty years later, the Swedish industrialisation took off, thanks to a business-friendly environment, solid institutions and international demand for our most abundant commodities — iron and wood.
This pivotal moment paved the way for diversification and growth of the economy, and later turned our nation into an innovation powerhouse, producing global brands like IKEA, Volvo, Scania, Skanska, Skype, Spotify and Ericsson.
The great accumulation of resources also enabled Sweden to become one of the world’s largest humanitarian donors.
Sweden was among the first nations to initiate development partnerships with the newly liberated nations in the Southern African Development Community region.
Today, we remain steadfast in our support of the Zimbabwean people as the third largest bilateral development partner to the country.
Just like Sweden’s growth journey commenced 100 years ago, Zimbabwe could be at a similar crossroads today; the world is craving for Zimbabwe’s abundant mineral sources to facilitate the much-needed global green transition whilst the country has stated its intention to enhance the business and investment climate.
Importantly, and in conjunction with this, there is the arrears clearance and debt resolution process, initiated by His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, which, pending successful resolution, has the potential to reintroduce Zimbabwe to international capital markets — provided the Government takes concrete steps of progress in the next months and years.
Sweden, meanwhile, is aiming at finding synergies between development cooperation and trade.
The aim is to create conditions for developing countries to move from poverty to prosperity through trade and economic development.
In this vein, we are investing in Zimbabwean private sector development and innovation-capacity, among other areas, via our partnership with the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries.
No country ever left poverty behind through development aid alone.
We, therefore, hope that Swedish companies, attracted by a potentially improving business climate in Zimbabwe, will be able to play a more instrumental role in the implementation of development cooperation and provide expertise, innovation and sustainable solutions to tackle various societal challenges in the years ahead.
As we celebrate our National Day, let us salute our common past, appreciate the pivotal potential of the present and work together for a future of shared prosperity and mutual growth.
Happy Swedish National Day!
Per Lindgärde is Sweden’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe.
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