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Mukudzei Chingwere in MANAGUA, Nicaragua
Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega on Sunday directed seven ministries in the economic cluster to step up cooperation with Zimbabwe for mutual benefit.
This was after a meeting with Vice President Chiwenga who made an impression of mutual benefits that can accrue from closer economic collaboration.
VP Chiwenga and his delegation were here for the 45th Sandinista Anniversary (national independence) and took advantage of their presence to further Zimbabwe’s economic development agenda as espoused by President Mnangagwa.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Zimbabwe’s top diplomat – who also covers Nicaragua and other countries in the Caribbean – Ambassador Paul Chikawa said indications are that there is scope for cooperation.
“Before meeting the ministers, the VP had a one-on-one meeting with President Daniel Ortega and the meeting with the ministers was a culmination of the Vice President’s visit whose main agenda was to be part of the 45th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution,” said Amb Chikawa.
“The meeting with the ministers provided an umbrella in terms of what Zimbabwe and Nicaragua should do in terms of economic engagement, it summed up the overtures by Nicaragua who have just opened an embassy in Harare and resonates with our position that Zimbabwe is open for business.
“Our Vice President floated the idea of educational cooperation where the two sides could benefit from each other because we are separated by language, and the Vice President suggested that we could send English teachers, while we also receive Spanish teachers from Nicaragua,” said Amb Chikawa.
The Nicaraguan delegation that met VP Chiwenga was led by the Special Adviser to the President for Economic and International Cooperation and also comprised of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Economy and International Cooperation, Minister of Tourism, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the office of the President among others.
“For perspective you may want to know that Nicaragua is the biggest country in Central America,” said Amb Chikawa, “it is a gateway to several countries, and it is a member of many regional economic communities. Wherever Zimbabwe can reach, why not? And as we do that, we look at competitive and comparative advantages.
“Nicaragua is in the Americas, and if we want to do business with the Americas, we can do that via Nicaragua, so we see synergies, we see complementariness.”
Amb Chikawa said a high level visit as the one by Vice President Chiwenga creates goodwill for Zimbabwe, not only in the visited country, but the region as a whole.
Online Reporter