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Mukudzei Chingwere in CAIRO, Egypt
Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Constantino Chiwenga, is expected in Cairo this afternoon to lead Zimbabwe’s participation in the Africa Health ExCon.
The Health ExCon is Africa’s premier medical expo bringing together leading manufacturers of medical consumables and pharmaceuticals as well as specialists, those in medical business and Government representatives under one roof to brainstorm on how best to improve health services on the African continent.
Zimbabwe expects to take advantage of its participation to continue its benchmarking of best international practices, as well as touch base and converse with key international health sector businesses as it seeks to pace up its national health development goals.
While attending to his official Health ExCon business, VP Chiwenga and his delegation are looking forward to engage potential investors, as Zimbabwe presses on with the policy on economic diplomacy.
The meetings will be anchored on President Mnangagwa’s “Zimbabwe is open for business” thrust.
Among those lined up to meet with VP Chiwenga is one of the largest business groupings in Egypt, the Africa Egypt Business Association, whose chairman has had a meeting confirmed.
Key players in the Egyptian aquaculture business have also been slotted in, with Zimbabwe hoping to tap from one of the world’s best aquaculture industries for the benefit of its aquaculture strategy as informed by the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy.
Under the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy, the agriculture sector is primed to grow into a US$8,2 billion industry by 2025.
With Zimbabwe presently experiencing the most rapid infrastructural development phase as part of its road towards an empowered upper-middle income economy envisioned by President Mnangagwa, VP Chiwenga is also scheduled to meet with Egypt Confederation of Contractors’ representatives, who want to explore opportunities in Zimbabwe.
In an interview, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Egypt Air Marshall (Retired) Shebba Shumbayawonda confirmed the expected arrival of VP Chiwenga and his itinerary.
“I have lined up quite a number of meetings; I think so far, five have confirmed,” said Ambassador Shumbayawonda.
“I have arranged with Africa Egypt Business Association chairman, I have also pencilled in the VP to meet with the chairman of the Egypt Drug Control Authority.
“I have also pencilled him to meet the chairman of the aquaculture, that is fisheries. We are looking forward to cooperate in areas of fisheries with Egypt.”
Egypt is rated number eight in the world in terms of fisheries.
Ambassador Shumbayawonda added that VP Chiwenga will also meet with the Egypt Confederation of Contractors, who are the people also responsible for planning big cities like the new capital they are building now.
“We think that they can actually assist us as we are also building a new capital back in Harare,” he said.
“It’s a blessing that we are having the VP coming, especially when he meets with the business community. It gives more weight.
“Yes, I have been urging them but when they actually talk to the Vice President, it gives more weight to my own engagements that I have been doing.”
Egypt has a strong construction sector, which has seen them spearheading several infrastructure development projects like the ongoing projects of building 20 new cities and massive road construction and rehabilitation.
Ambassador Shumbayawonda said Harare and Cairo enjoy excellent bilateral relations that date back to Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.
He noted that it is time the two countries stepped up the good relations for the mutual economic benefit of their people.
“Our relations are quite good,” said Ambassador Shumbayawonda.
“They started well before our independence. Even the President himself was trained here in 1963 and a lot of other cadres have been trained here.
“Egypt also continues to assist us in various fields. When we had Cyclone Idai, Egypt assisted us. During the Covid era when it broke out, Egypt actually sent a consignment of protective clothing to assist in trying to combat the effects of Covid-19.”
President Mnangagwa himself was in Egypt recently after being invited by his counterpart, President Adbel Fattah el-Sisi.
He then attended the official opening of the 2023 African Development Bank annual meetings, and on the following day, he was the guest speaker during a roundtable discussion on Zimbabwe’s arrears clearance and debt resolution programme.
Online Reporter