…eye private sector synergy

Fungi Kwaramba in ACCRA, Ghana

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has called on African countries to deepen private sector participation and forge win‑win partnerships to confront the continent’s development challenges, while emphasising the urgent need for value addition to natural resources to maximise economic returns.

Speaking at a State Banquet hosted in his honour by Ghanaian President John Mahama on Wednesday night, the President reflected on the long‑standing historical ties between Zimbabwe and Ghana.

He noted that Ghana was the cradle of Pan Africanism and holds the distinction of being the first Sub Saharan African nation to attain independence from colonial rule in 1957, a development that went on to inspire liberation movements across the continent.

In addition to standing shoulder to shoulder in the fight against colonialism and its injustices, Zimbabwe and Ghana share a unique historical bond, as the late founding leader of Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe, was married to the late Sally Mugabe, who was Ghanaian.

President Mnangagwa also reflected on the inspiration his generation of liberation fighters drew from Pan Africanist Ghana during the protracted struggle against colonial rule.

Drawing parallels between the two countries, he said that Zimbabwe, like Ghana, is undergoing rapid infrastructure development anchored on a knowledge driven economy and the application of cutting edge technologies to improve the delivery of social services.

“Your commitment to propel Ghana to new levels of development and prosperity is admirable. My Administration shares a similar resolve to transform Zimbabwe’s economy to an upper middle-income society by 2030. In our country, we are driven by a development philosophy that says ‘A country is built, governed and prayed for, by its own people’.

“We, the citizens of our countries, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Africa, have a duty and responsibility to develop, modernise and industrialise our countries and the African continent. Partners, investors, well-wishers and others can only assist and complement our efforts, based, however, on our own defined priorities, goals and vision,” ,” President Mnangagwa told his host.

He highlighted strategic partnerships that have already been forged between Zimbabwean and Ghanaian companies in the food and agriculture value chains, noting that a Zimbabwean brand is among the most visible enterprises operating in Ghana’s agricultural sector.

“These are a testament of how our private sectors can collaborate to deliver African solutions to African challenges, towards enhancing food security, agricultural resilience and climate change mitigation,” said President Mnangagwa.

Ghana, like Zimbabwe, is richly endowed with mineral resources and is Africa’s largest gold producer. The country is also pursuing mineral beneficiation and value addition for maximum economic gain, creating further opportunities for cooperation between the two nations.

“Other sectors, such as mining, provide avenues for mutually beneficial public and private sector partnerships in our jurisdictions. We must accelerate the beneficiation and value addition of all our minerals and natural resources, our God-given birth right of resource endowment,” said the President.

While Zimbabwe and Ghana share a long standing fraternal relationship, President Mnangagwa noted that this marks the inaugural State Visit to Ghana by a Zimbabwean Head of State, a milestone he said consolidates and deepens bilateral relations.

“I recall that the independence of Ghana, under the leadership of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and his declaration that ‘the independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent, was a defining moment for us all. As a veteran of the protracted struggle against colonialism, coming here is profoundly sentimental, as it rekindles wartime memories of my generation.

The liberation movements in Zimbabwe received arms of war as well as training and other forms of support from Ghana, towards dismantling the racist colonial regime in the then Southern Rhodesia. We are forever grateful,” he said.

Beyond a shared historical bond forged during the struggle for independence, the two countries are now focusing on shaping a shared future of economic prosperity driven by ongoing collaboration across multiple sectors.

“As we look into the future, we share the desire for the true independence of our economies, where our people benefit from the rich resources of our continent for a higher quality of life, especially for women and young people. Our engagements therefore, present us with an opportunity to translate our strong historic bonds into practical economic dividends to scale up the modernisation, industrialisation and sustainable development of our two countries. Opportunities exist for stronger business-to-business economic cooperation to upscale our bilateral cooperation,” said the President.

Discussions during the State Visit are also expected to cover partnerships and collaborations in education, tourism and other critical sectors.

“Zimbabwe is particularly committed to collaborating with Ghana through the proposed Twinning Arrangement between the cities of Cape Coast and Victoria Falls. We must embrace the unique opportunity to enhance people-to-people relations, particularly with the African Diaspora, in line with the African Union’s vision of the Diaspora as the sixth region of Africa,” said President Mnangagwa.