Zimbabwe partners, SA, Rwanda on skills transfer

GOVERNMENT is partnering with South Africa and Rwanda in facilitating skills development for young people to create wealth while alleviating crime.

This comes as Cabinet approved the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday between the Republic of Zimbabwe, the Republic of Rwanda and the Republic of South Africa on Cooperation in the Field of Youth Affairs.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi presented the field of youth affairs cooperation among the three countries before Cabinet.

In his post-Cabinet media briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said the three countries desire to cooperate in the mutual development of young people through existing bilateral arrangements.

“The areas of co-operation include life skills training and capacity development; entrepreneurship development; agriculture, agro-processing, and manufacturing; market development; technology development and transfer; skills development and re-integration programmes for youths in conflict with the law; tourism business development; health promotion programmes; and transformation and empowerment programmes,” said Dr Muswere.

He said some of the objectives of the cooperation include raising the standard of living for youths and disadvantaged communities, which will reduce poverty and promote the facilitation of life skills training and capacity building for youths for sustainable nation-building.

Dr Muswere said the initiative will also promote rural development based on youth in agriculture to reduce criminal activities committed by youths while creating peaceful and crime-free countries.

He said Cabinet was also briefed on President Mnangagwa’s participation in the African Union Peace and Security Council, which tackled the peace and security situation in the Sudan and the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Dr Muswere said President Mnangagwa delivered the Southern African Development Community (SADC) message in his capacity as the chair for the regional bloc calling for unconditional ceasefire, unfettered access to humanitarian assistance, inclusive dialogue, withdrawal of M23 and uninvited forces from the DRC.

“The Council reaffirmed its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC. The Peace and Security Council meeting also welcomed and reaffirmed the outcomes of the SADC Extraordinary Summit on the security situation in the DRC,” he added.

“Zimbabwe participated in a number of bilateral and sideline meetings on the margins of the 38th African Union Summit. His Excellency the President as Chairperson of SADC attended a High-Level meeting on domestic financing,” said Dr Muswere.

“The purpose of the meeting was to explore innovative strategies for addressing financing gaps in Africa’s health systems. His Excellency the President emphasised the need for domestic mobilisation to curb disease outbreaks.”

Dr Muswere said Cabinet was also briefed on other President Mnangagwa’s engagements during the AU summit including his meeting with the United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al and Mozambican President Daniel Chapo.

“The two leaders reaffirmed the existing excellent government-to-government and party-to-party relations. The Zimbabwean delegation also met the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The two countries agreed to resume the Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation in Addis Ababa this year,” he said.

-@nqotshili