Online Reporter
Nduduzo Tshuma in PRETORIA, South Africa
ZIMBABWE’S economic diplomacy under President Mnangagwa has translated into stronger trade flows, improved connectivity and expanding opportunities for businesses.
The Fourth Session of the Zimbabwe-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC), which began here on Tuesday, is placing economic cooperation at the centre of efforts to deepen bilateral relations, with the two countries prioritising high-impact projects to improve the movement of goods, services and people while driving investment and regional integration.
The four-day process will culminate tomorrow in a Heads of State summit between President Mnangagwa, expected to arrive here today, and his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, where they will review existing bilateral commitments and witness the signing of new agreements and several memoranda of understanding.
A Zimbabwe-South Africa Business Forum, to be held on the margins of the BNC, will bring the private sector into the process.
ZimTrade is coordinating Zimbabwe’s participation at the Business Forum alongside its South African counterparts.
The forum is expected to turn political commitments into commercial opportunities, particularly in trade facilitation, transport and logistics, manufacturing, investment, industrial cooperation and regional value chains.
In an interview here yesterday, ZimTrade chief executive Mr Allan Majuru said the private-sector engagement demonstrates the practical side of economic diplomacy, ensuring that agreements reached at government level translate into business.
“The BNC is there to talk about policy issues and also to create a platform for business to then take advantage of what’s happening there,” Mr Majuru said.
“So, the Business Forum is going to be tackling the technical issues that are affecting trade, investment, among others so that we make sure that what is discussed on the BNC also materialises as business during the Business Forum.”
The approach comes as Zimbabwe and South Africa seek to focus on high-impact projects that can produce tangible economic benefits.
Among the projects under discussion is the proposed third bridge across the Limpopo River, which Zimbabwe wants developed into a one-stop border post to ease congestion and facilitate the movement of goods and people along the North-South Corridor.
The project is expected to have significance beyond the two countries, given the strategic role of the corridor in linking several Southern African economies.
South Africa’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, said the Business Forum will provide a platform for government and the private sector to develop practical measures to increase bilateral trade, facilitate investment and strengthen industrial cooperation.
The BNC’s economic agenda is also being supported by broader cooperation in infrastructure, energy and water, with Zimbabwe exploring opportunities to supply water to South Africa’s Limpopo Province and other neighbouring provinces.
The strategy reflects the Second Republic’s emphasis on economic diplomacy and a “Neighbourhood First Principle”, under which deeper relations with neighbouring countries are viewed as a foundation for wider regional and continental economic engagement.
Mr Majuru said the Government’s policy interventions were creating conditions for businesses to exploit these opportunities.
“The issue of economic diplomacy is quite key for us to achieve a growth in trade and investment,” he said.
Mr Majuru said improvements in infrastructure, border facilities and the ease of doing business were helping Zimbabwean products reach regional markets at more competitive prices.
The progression from senior officials’ meetings to the ministerial session today and tomorrow’s Heads of State summit is expected to provide political direction, while the Business Forum will allow companies to turn that direction into commercial activity.
“So you see the mantra of economic diplomacy is in play,” Mr Majuru said.
“When we normally have BNCs, the issues are now paving the way for businesses to then take advantage of the platforms that have been created.”
