Online Reporter
Nduduzo Tshuma in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
ZIMBABWE is actively contributing to global discussions on investment, technology, and sustainable development at the ongoing World Governments Summit (WGS) here, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has said.
Speaking after the official opening of the three-day high-level summit on Tuesday, Minister Ncube described the event as “a great summit so far,” highlighting its role as a platform for knowledge exchange, networking and business engagement.
“And we are here to contribute to the debates, but also to listen and to learn and to meet others and share and network and do business. So I really believe that this is a great summit so far,” Minister Ncube said.
He highlighted a range of topics discussed at the summit, noting their relevance for Zimbabwe’s economic policy and development planning. “We opened up with some very interesting subjects.
For example, in terms of discussions on which areas we should be investing in, what is interesting to investors in scale, electricity is an issue, critical minerals is also a very important area. Making sure that we maintain peace around the world,” he said.
The Minister also pointed to technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), as a major theme shaping the global agenda. “So many interesting topics have been presented. The role of technology, artificial intelligence in shaping a new world. All these are critical topics that in my country, as a policy maker, I must pay attention to,” he said.
Looking ahead, Minister Ncube emphasised the importance of leveraging innovation and investment to create jobs, enhance resilience to climate shocks, and ensure reliable energy supply. “For tomorrow, it’s how we take advantage of AI, the new technology going forward. It’s about how to create jobs for the youth. How can we deal with climate shocks, that’s still an issue for us in our part of the world,” he said.
While Zimbabwe has recently experienced favourable rains, floods in neighbouring countries remain a concern, underscoring regional environmental vulnerabilities. “Either way, we always have challenges. How to make sure we have adequate power, how to create more jobs. We still have those basic issues to deal with, and we are dealing with them. We take advantage of the developments around the world as we do that,” Minister Ncube said.
He also highlighted Zimbabwe’s deepening relations with countries across the Global South. “Zimbabwe’s relations with the Global South are strengthening from day to day. With the UAE, with India, with China, with Indonesia, with Malaysia. We are building strong relations everywhere, especially with countries that are much closer to us in terms of level of development. We are learning a lot, whether it’s in terms of running our railway systems, how to run public transportation systems,” he said.
Minister Ncube said Zimbabwe is not only learning from global best practices but also sharing expertise, particularly in tourism development. “We are copying a lot in terms of policy that we can copy from them. But also we are sharing a lot in terms of just developing the tourism sector, for example. So our relations are growing from strength to strength,” he said.
The WGS, under the theme “Shaping Future Governments”, has attracted over 6,000 delegates, including 45 heads of state and more than 700 chief executives of leading global companies, making it the largest edition in the summit’s history. Zimbabwe’s participation underscores the country’s commitment to global engagement, investment promotion and sustainable development under the Second Republic.
