Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
FOREIGN Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira has challenged the country’s diplomats deployed in various stations across the world to focus on promoting trade and economic ties between their hosts and Zimbabwe.
He made the remarks at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Zimbabwe Foreign Service Institute (ZFSI) and the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC).
The MoU seeks to strengthen the country’s diplomacy through research, knowledge and the promotion of national values.
“So we tell our diplomats always that you are not at the station to be called Her Excellency or His Excellency. We are not there as beggars. We are there as economic negotiators.
“The effectiveness of diplomacy is therefore seen in the growth of the GDP through trade figures. Nothing else, guided by Section 12 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which mandates a foreign policy that promotes national interest in pan-Africanism,” he said.
He added that they had agreed to formalise the relationship due to the capacity of SARDC.
“This MoU is a step in securing the front of knowledge, narrative and national identity,” he said.
The Minister also said it was important that the country engage in “Chimurenga chepfungwa”, or liberation of the mind, to ensure the national story is told through the country’s own research infrastructure.
Prof Murwira said a nation was held together based on values that make it possible for peace to happen.
“Values make it possible for economic production to happen. Values make it possible for social cohesion to happen. We must focus on training our diplomats based on values-led development.
“It is values that hold the nation together, and in our partnership, I would expect documentation that talks about values,” he said.
He added that the country was moving its foreign policy from just political engagement to political engagement as a facilitation for deeper economic engagement.
“We say that’s trade. There is no Foreign Affairs without trade. What would you be doing in Foreign Affairs for? At the centre of foreign affairs is economics and trade, which, of course, goes back to our national objective of making our people live happy and fulfilling lives,” Prof Murwira said.
The MoU mandates that ZFSI and SARDC work together to codify national issues through publications that align strictly with Zimbabwe’s foreign policy objectives.
The Government is strengthening the country’s research infrastructure, introducing examinations and developing rigorous study modules to ensure its foreign service is not just practised but intellectually grounded.
ZFSI acting director Dr Tapiwa Zengeni said, through the MoU, the institute will benefit immensely from the partnership.
“What is instructive is that the mandate of ZFSI is dual. We have the training aspect, where we train Foreign Service officers and other Government officials in international relations, economic diplomacy, international trade and so forth.
“The other component is research. Both components — the training, research and policy advisory functions — will definitely benefit from an institute of the calibre of SARDC because they have proven themselves in this field since 1985. That is cumulatively 41 years. Such a deep, structured and strong history in terms of knowledge production and research will definitely benefit ZFSI,” Dr Zengeni said.
“What is also important for me to highlight is that this is going to be a two-way process. It’s a shared partnership. We are looking at carrying out joint research, and we are looking at documentation, as pointed out by the Minister.
“To create a perpetual society, a perpetual nation, we need to document and codify documents. Those documents will outlive us. They will enable us to continue to exist into the future and help shape future generations. Just as we have been shaped by our forefathers, who left behind a rich wealth and database of information through oral traditions, stone paintings and other means, our generation must continue that posture of documenting and codifying our values and experiences so that both the present and future generations will benefit from such activities.”
SARDC executive director Mr Joseph Ngwawi said the MoU was a step in the right direction. “This MoU is a step in the right direction for both SARDC and the ZFSI because it will allow our two institutions to work together to build a critical mass of knowledgeable Foreign Service officers and ambassadors who can competently represent Zimbabwe wherever they are posted.
“Our role in this partnership will be to provide knowledge products and capacity building for ambassadors and Foreign Service officers so that they can perform their duties effectively. We need to produce knowledgeable officers who can take the Zimbabwe story out there and represent the country.”
