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Isdore Guvamombe
President Mnangagwa and many African leaders will tomorrow be attending the all-important Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in St Petersburg.
The decision by President Mnangagwa to attend the summit is a clear statement that Zimbabwe is serious about engagement and re-engagement and that Zimbabwe cannot be manipulated by the United States and its allies to hate other nations, like Russia.
Zimbabwe makes its own decisions for the benefit of its people and not to please US, which has been going behind the scenes, trying to influence African leaders to snub Russia-Africa Forum.
There are more benefits for Zimbabwe attending than not attending. President Mnangagwa has shown great wisdom.
The US needs to know that their enemy is someone’s friend. Outside all the anti-Russia media propaganda the US has unleashed over the years, many countries still believe in Russia and its ability to work wonders with them for mutual benefit.
Currently, there are three very important trajectories at play and it is very critical for Zimbabwe to take advantage of.
Firstly, there was the US-Africa summit held in Botswana two weeks ago. A damp squib. A talk shop. A lecture, high sounding by signifying nothing.
Secondly, there will be a Russia-Africa Forum, July 27-28. All open, broad and encompassing. Win-win.
Thirdly, there will be a BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Forum to be held in South Africa on August 22-25. The new world order. The future!
For Zimbabwe and SADC in particular, and Africa in general, the US-Africa summit held in Botswana on July 11-14, was a brazen act of disrespect after it had paid a deaf ear on the call to remove sanctions in Zimbabwe.
No one needs to be told how the illegal US sanctions have affected Zimbabwe and its neighbours since 2001 and by ignoring combined calls by Africans to lift them and then choose a venue in the same region for its summit, Washington proved its hard-heartedness and deliberate bully tactics.
The worst thing is that the US tried very hard to influence Botswana not to invite President Mnangagwa to the summit, showing its blatant disrespect and hatred for Zimbabwe.
It took a bold decision by President Masisi to invite President Mnangagwa, and let alone give him a platform to interface.
Now, the Russia Africa Forum which seeks to develop a win-win inter-sectoral development partnership between African countries and Russia in an era of global change, is more compressively arranged and much broader in scope than the US-Africa summit recently held in Botswana. No pun intended!
The Russia-Africa forum touches all aspect of the society from economics, culture, politics, sports and little everything else. There is something for everyone. All the aspects above will help Zimbabwe achieve Vision 2030.
Most importantly is the fact that the Russia-Africa Forum comes at a time when the Kremlin is increasing its footprints in Africa as a fair business player, without colonial hangover, and therefore without prejudice.
Russia has emerged a serious investor into the future of many African countries, from health services delivery to mining manufacturing, technology transfer and military co-operation, among others.
Hardly a month after the Russia-Africa forum, there will be a BRICS summit, where a major shift on world economics is gathering momentum for the benefit of many developing countries.
Russia is a vital cog in the BRICS, which have made bold steps towards dismantling US economic hegemony on the world by offering an alternative currency and hence alternative world business matrix.
BRICS is also offering a lending bank for member states and affiliates. Zimbabwe needs the BRICS bank and all its members to achieve Vision 2030, of a middle-income economy.
How good and how pleasant would it be before God and man, that, the world is turning out to move away from one bully superpower to a democratic order, where, nations respect each other. A world where US big brother mentality and bully tactics have no place.
For all and sundry, Russia’s influence in BRICS cannot be downplayed. It is actually important for Zimbabwe to interface with Russians in spectrum their broad totality at the forum and win support from Russia ahead of the BRICS summit.
With support from Russia, Zimbabwe’s bid to benefit from BRICS will be made easier.
BRICS have shown keen interest in working with Zimbabwe and indeed, therefore, provide a good alternative to multilateral funding for Zimbabwe.
The current international money landing system has US control and Zimbabwe and any other countries under US sanctions have been disenfranchised by IMF and World bank, among other lending institutions under US influence.
This is no longer sustainable and the US must feel the heat and BRICS is the next choice for many progressive countries.
Back to the Russia-Africa summit, Russia is a major producer of grain. Russia is a leading manufacturer. Russia is a leading miner of any resources. Russia is a world leader in economic and investment.
Zimbabwe needs to leverage on its relationship with Russia to move away from US dirty tactics and the British’s hegemony on Commonwealth, which has systematically shut out Zimbabwe.
Russia and indeed BRICS give an alternative space for Zimbabwe where win-win deals can be crafted; where technology transfer for national food security can be achieved.
It is more beneficial for Zimbabwe to join BRICS than to re-join the Commonwealth, where the Britain, the former coloniser has been making it impossible for Zimbabwe to re-join.
Zimbabwe can continue making efforts to re-join Commonwealth, but the British House of Commons has made it clear that they support the opposition in Zimbabwe and that they will not work with a ZANU PF Government until it, give the opposition to chance to rule.
Fortunately for them President Mnangagwa is a very patient man, otherwise he would have long abandoned the bid, given the rate of chicanery in the British ranks and file, handling the Commonwealth issue.
From the programme line up, events are aimed at strengthening Russian-African cooperation on all fronts, and designed to determine the path of the development of Russia’s relations with African countries in the long-term.
Russia representatives from the relevant Russian ministries, Russian and African business leaders, and international relations experts will discuss the challenges facing Russia and African countries in an era of global change, and will talk about the most pressing issues and ways of resolving them to encourage the development of Russian-African relations in the economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres.
The Forum’s business programme consists of four large topic areas covering all spheres of cooperation between Russia and the African continent: The New Global Economy, Integrated Security and Sovereign Development, Cooperation in Science and Technology, The Humanitarian and Social Sphere: Working Together for a New Quality of Life.
“The Second Russia-Africa Summit and Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum is set to become a unique platform for direct dialogue between business, government, and representatives of the creative and cultural communities of Russia and Africa.
“I am confident that in the foreseeable future, all the Forum events will lead to a strengthening of the ties between our regions and to effective cooperation,” said Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the Organising Committee for Russia-Africa Events.
We await the good results.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter