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Columbus Mabika, Herald Reporter
Zimbabwe will continue to court like-minded and friendly nations like India in its quest to develop, modernise and mechanise the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, has said.
She made the remarks yesterday on the sidelines of a maiden Zimbabwe-India Defence Industry Interaction Expo in Harare, a follow-up to the Memorandum of Understanding signed during the Aero India Exhibition and Ministers’ Conclave in Bengaluru, India last month which formalised military cooperation between the two nations.
The MoU on Defence Cooperation paved the way for enhanced engagements not only in the training of personnel but also in Defence production and industry-to-industry engagement
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said this was another milestone in the consolidation of the already excellent long standing bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and India.
“Zimbabwe and India have had a long history of cooperation dating back to the pre-colonial era,” she said.
“This is evidenced by the presence of one of the Mutapa Empire Princes who lies buried in Goa-India resulting from the links our two countries had during the pre-colonial era. The increased diplomatic engagement between India and Zimbabwe is further exemplified by my recent visit to your country in February 2025, at the invitation of my counterpart, the Indian Minister of Defence, Mr Shri Rajnath Sing to witness the 15th Edition of the Aero India Exhibition and Ministers of Defence Conclave where India was showcasing her Defence manufacturing capabilities.
“In its quest to guarantee the nation sustained peace and stability, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces requires continued collaboration with friendly Forces and partners in the global community. It is in this context that we are particularly excited to host the Indian delegation.”
She said India’s defence industry is renowned for its innovation, self-reliance and commitment to excellence to which Zimbabwe has a lot to learn as the prospects of being an industrial hub through the results of Education 5.0 begin to bear fruit by contributing significantly to the economy and society by aligning university research with national development goals, the programme fostering industrialisation.
“The showcasing of your military hardware during the expo, therefore, is a testament to your commitment to peace and security, not just within the Indian subcontinent but globally.
“This Expo provides Zimbabwe with an opportunity to learn from India’s experiences as well as explore potential co-operation for the mutual benefit of both countries,” she said.
Further, she said Zimbabwe has always valued the robust relationships it shares with India.
“Our ties have spanned many years marked by cooperation in various sectors including defence, agriculture, health, education and trade among others. Today we take another step forward in enhancing our military capabilities by learning from India’s advancement in military technology, strategic insights and innovation,” she said.
Zimbabwe, she added, takes seriously the importance of upgrading and modernising the Defence Forces capabilities and is eager to explore and integrate new ideas, technologies and equipment into the national security framework.
India’s ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Bramha Kumar said the expo is evidence that Zimbabwe’s economy is taking new steps to venture into new areas of trade and investment.
“It is not surprising that in such an encouraging environment investment from the Indian private sector has been on the rise and today it is estimated around US$600 million,” he said. “The number of Indian companies operating in Zimbabwe is also rising. Therefore, we need to utilise such a momentum to further enhance bilateral trade and investment between our two countries.”
The Indian defence manufacturing industry, he said is a significant sector of the economy which Zimbabwe can copy adding the industry is likely to expand and accelerate with rising concerns about national security and the need for further modernisation with the emergence of new defence technologies.
India, he said, desires to continue and strengthen this mutually beneficial relationship and to enhance cooperation and understanding with Zimbabwe on issues of mutual interest at bilateral and multilateral levels.
Online Reporter