Zvamaida Murwira
Senior Reporter
PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA has been nominated to be the founding patron of the Africa-Asia Institute, a South-South cooperation centre designed to bridge Africa and Asia through strategic partnerships, policy analysis and other areas of cooperation.
The institute, headquartered in Addis Ababa, fosters cultural exchanges, joint degrees, interdisciplinary research and inclusive trade.
The nomination was in recognition of efforts President Mnangagwa has made to promote research and innovation in tertiary institutions under the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 model.
This was said by Binary University founder Professor Joseph Adaikalam soon after paying a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa at State House in Harare on Saturday morning.
Binary University is a specialist private university based in Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia, focusing on management, IT and entrepreneurship education.
Prof Adaikalam said his discussions with President Mnangagwa centred on how to enhance the relationship between Zimbabwe and Malaysia and how the two countries could tap into the Asian market.
“With the Africa-Asia Institute, we can open new doors for a bigger market, because the Asian market is about 650 million people. So, it is a huge market for Zimbabweans to tap into. So, in this respect, I propose to His Excellency, President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa, whether he can be the founding patron of the Africa-Asia Institute. And I am quite glad to say that he has agreed to be the founding patron, but we need to go through the protocols,” said Prof Adaikalam.
Today’s meeting was attended by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira and Permanent Secretary Ambassador Albert Chimbindi.
