Online Reporter
Wallace Ruzvidzo
Herald Reporter
THE people of Zimbabwe and Zambia are bound by one history, culture, family relations and common aspirations for prosperous economies and a higher quality of life, President Mnangagwa has said.
Addressing the inaugural Zimbabwe-Zambia Bi-National Commission (BNC), which he co-chaired with his Zambian counterpart Hakainde Hichilema in Harare yesterday, the President said the two countries were “stronger together”.
“We have the responsibility to ensure that, together we facilitate the economic prosperity of our respective countries, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
“We are stronger working together,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said Harare and Lusaka had identified new opportunities for cooperation that should be fully exploited.
The two countries yesterday signed six Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on Diplomatic Training, Cooperation in the Fields of Labour and Employment, Cooperation in Youth Affairs, Immigration and Technical Cooperation, Cooperation in The Field of Agriculture and Signing of Agreed minutes.
“It is important that we continuously work and track progress as we implement the agreements and MoUs that we have signed.
“Let us adopt an honest and positive work ethic in the discharge of our various mandates, within the context of the BNC,” President Mnangagwa said.
As the two countries’ Heads of State, he said, both himself and President Hichilema had the inevitable duty to ensure that Zimbabwe and Zambia leverage on each other’s comparative advantages and natural resource endowments.
President Mnangagwa said this would enable Harare and Lusaka to propel their development, modernisation and industrialisation.
“We share a very long border, which was arbitrarily drawn by the former colonial power, separating families and communities.
“Your visit (President Hichilema) affords us the opportunity to give impetus to ongoing efforts aimed at scaling up multi-pronged and mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries.
“It is further opportune, Your Excellency and Dear Brother, that your visit comes against the backdrop of SADC’s determination to accelerate industrialisation through value addition and beneficiation of our rich natural resource endowments,” said the President.
He said the region’s collective resolve to address pertinent challenges, such as infrastructure gaps and climate change induced shocks, formed a critical background to his counterpart’s visit.
“As we meet, therefore, we have a broader responsibility, not only in respect of our two nations, but in the context of our regional as well as continental aspirations,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said more work needed to be undertaken to ensure the two countries’ strategic partnership delivers more benefits to the people of Zimbabwe and Zambia, as they were expecting highly impactful results.
President Mnangagwa said there is scope for increased cooperation in trade, mutual investments in transport, infrastructure, energy, mining and agriculture, among many other areas.
“In this respect, cooperation in sectors such as energy and transport infrastructure remains critical, more so that good transport networks are enablers to trade, investment and development between our two countries as well as regional integration.
“I, therefore, commend the progress made in the conceptualisation of the Lion’s Den-Kafue Railway Project.
“I call upon the responsible ministries, departments and agencies to work tirelessly to move the project forward,” he said.
President Mnangagwa underlined the importance of peace, security and stability as catalysts for sustainable development in both countries.
“The defence security services of our two countries have always been in close consultations and cooperation, as illustrated by the convening of the Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security in March 2025.
“I encourage the security services to remain vigilant in the midst of the ever-changing and new security threats such as terrorism, drug trafficking and cyber crimes, among others,” he said.
The President said there remained great scope for cooperation in the agriculture sector between Harare and Lusaka.
On its part, he said, the Second Republic continues to implement robust programmes towards modernising, industrialising and growing its economy.
“As a result of deliberate policies and programmes in our agricultural sector, we have realised household food security and are now focussed on value addition and beneficiation of the unprecedented surpluses we are now realising across all agro-sub sectors.
“Further, my Government has taken bold measures towards countering the effects of climate change.
“Water harvesting remains critical to climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as complementing rain-fed agriculture production systems. The full utilisation of dams and conveyancing around our water infrastructure is top priority.
“At community level, we are drilling boreholes across our 35 000 villages and establishing village business units and nutritional gardens.
“We have also launched agriculture production booster kits, which will see small holder farmers being supported by Government with irrigation equipment to cover one-hectare plots,” President Mnangagwa said.
In respect of cooperation in the mining sector, the President said immense potential lay in the growing demand for new minerals, which are in their abundance in both countries.
“I challenge our officials to pursue avenues of cooperation that will see Zimbabwe and Zambia harness their resource endowments to tap into the opportunities associated with the green energy revolution and our entry into global value chains.
“The overarching goal is that our rich natural resource endowments must benefit our two economies and primarily our people,” he said.
On the tourism front, President Mnangagwa called for the strengthening of cooperation and complementarity in improving tourist products and services in both the City of Victoria Falls and Livingstone.
“As Zimbabwe and Zambia, we share Mosi-oa-Tunya, the Victoria Falls.
“Positive spill-offs from increased tourist arrivals must accrue to the communities, which are the immediate stewards of the Victoria Falls, over and above our respective national economies.
“Joint marketing of other tourist destinations within our two countries should be promoted,” he said.
In terms of education and skills development, the President said these areas remained critically important to propel the two countries’ socio-economic aspirations.
“Cooperation between our two countries, and sharing of lessons in education, as well as vocational and technical training, should be prioritised.
“Our young people must be equipped to modernise and industrialise our countries through their own innovations, based on our unique heritage and natural resource endowments,” he said.
On the diplomatic front, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe continues to draw notable benefits from the successful implementation of the engagement and re-engagement policy.
“Allow me, therefore, to take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude to you, and our brothers and sisters of the Republic of Zambia, for contributing, in various ways, to the resounding success that characterised Zimbabwe’s hosting of the 44th SADC Summit and ancillary events,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe remained confident that peace will prevail in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“On broader regional issues, it is undesirable that inter and intra-state conflicts continue to threaten successful implementation of the regional and continental development agenda.
“We remain concerned over the security and humanitarian situation in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We are confident that ongoing efforts of the region, and the international community, will bear fruit.
“Cessation of violence, securing lasting peace and ensuring that the people of Eastern DRC can benefit and contribute to regional development, remain our desire and priority,” he said.
In his closing remarks, President Mnangagwa urged both parties to put shoulder to the wheel towards the full implementation of the signed MoUs.
“I urge ministers, senior officials, along with ministries, departments and agencies of our Governments to increase exchanges for greater synergy and complementarity in our agreed programmes, projects and activities.
“Let us work hand in glove for the greater good and prosperity of our two countries and peoples,” he said.
The President also expressed gratitude to President Hichilema for Zambia’s support of Zimbabwe’s bid for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the term 2027-2028, as well as its solidarity in calling for the removal of sanctions on Harare.
“Finally, Your Excellency, may I express my gratitude for your personal support and that of Zambia for Zimbabwe’s candidature for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, for the period 2027-2028.
“We remain grateful for Zambia’s principled stance and consistent calls against the illegal economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe,” he said.
The BNC was attended by Cabinet Ministers, Ambassadors and other senior officials from both countries.
Peter Tanyanyiwa