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Roselyn Sachiti – Features, Health & Society Editor
Zimbabwe’s re-engagement drive is paying off, with the country working towards establishing several consulates in the United Kingdom, the country’s Ambassador to the UK, Retired Colonel Christian Katsande, said recently.
Speaking during a courtesy visit at the recently opened Nyaradzo Group’s, Nyaradzo House Letchworth branch in the UK, Ambassador Katsande said they had been working to strengthen relations with host communities.
This has benefitted Zimbabwean businesses operating there, and those intending to start businesses.
“We believe your work here will demonstrate a concrete manifestation of Zimbabwe being open for business,” said Ambassador Katsande.
“It demonstrates that we are working to strengthen our relations with the host communities, host country and in the process working to promote the possibilities of trade investment and tourism.”
Ambassador Katsande said within that context, Zimbabwe intended to establish honorary consulates throughout the UK.
“Already, we are establishing a consulate in Scotland,” he said. “We hope to do the same in Dublin and thereafter perhaps in Birmingham or somewhere in the Midlands.
“The idea being that we will be able to extend the consular services and other services not only to our Diasporan community, but also to the business community in the UK.”
At the meeting, Ambassador Katsande invited Nyaradzo Group to participate at the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP26) meeting in Glasgow Scotland between October 31 – November 12 2021.
Nyaradzo Group has contributed immensely to environmental management in Zimbabwe and in the SADC region.
President Mnangagwa is expected to attend COP26 and will lead a Zimbabwean delegation and present the country’s mitigation measures and adaptation actions against climate change.
The President is also expected to take advantage of the conference to engage a number of leaders and investors, informing them of the economic and political reforms that have been adopted in Zimbabwe since 2017.
Accepting the invite, Nyaradzo Group wrote on its Facebook page: “We were honoured to have hosted His Excellency, Retired Colonel Christian Katsande, Ambassador of Zimbabwe to the UK and his delegation on the 30th of September as he paid us a courtesy call at Nyaradzo House UK.
“His Excellency took the opportunity to invite us to participate at the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, and we are excited! We remain humbled and thankful for the tremendous support we continue to get from the Government of Zimbabwe.
“We look forward to the thawing and strengthening of relations between our host Government and that of Zimbabwe so businesses in the two countries can work together for the betterment of the lives of all.”
The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Zimbabwe has done a lot more in carbon sinking through the various afforestation and reforestation programmes, conservation agriculture (Pfumvudza/Intwasa) and emitting less on its growth trajectory towards Vision 2030. The country is a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), whose major objective is the stabilisation of greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
For over 11 years, Nyaradzo Group has been involved in the environment adapting the name “Friends of the Environment” (FOTE) because of its contribution in planting trees to help curb deforestation in the country.
Nyaradzo Group’s FOTE administration manager, Patience Fusire, told The Herald that the company was targeting to plant half a billion trees by 2026, having planted 30 million over the past few years.
“The idea came about after the Forestry Commission in 2010 released statistics that Zimbabwe was losing about 330,000 hectares of forest annually for different reasons,” she said. “Initially, in July 2010, Nyaradzo introduced the ‘a tree with every burial’ concept which is still on going.”
Ms Fusire said the bigger picture was to contribute towards mitigation of climate change and global warming in a holistic way, adding the deforestation taking place in Zimbabwe is contributing towards climate change and global warming.
She said they have been working with several partners and now have 30 tree seedling nurseries across the country.
Most of these seedling nurseries, she added, are in rural schools which have more land for planting.
With local companies opening shop abroad and also taking part at COP26, the country’s re-engagement efforts are indeed reaping fruits.
Since coming into office in November 2017, President Mnangagwa deliberately embarked on an engagement and re-engagement drive.
This is aimed at mending relations with all countries that had shut their doors on the country, at the same time striving to maintain good relations with those that have stood with Harare during difficult times.
At his inauguration speech, President Mnangagwa pledged to re-engage the country with the world. Addressing Harare’s packed 60 000-capacity National Sports Stadium in 2017, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was now “ready and willing for a steady re-engagement with all the nations of the world”.
The results are showing.
For example, at the commissioning of Phase 1 of the US$13 million Seed Co maize conditioning plant on September 10 this year, President Mnangagwa said the presence of France’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Laurent Chevallier, indicated the continued acceptance of the Second Republic by countries that previously cut ties with Harare.
“We have seen here His Excellency, the French Ambassador (Mr Chevallier); we rarely have European ambassadors attending our programmes,” President Mnangagwa said.
“This speaks to the continuous acceptance of the Second Republic internationally. At the time of our independence, France came to join us and supported this country at independence in various sectors (such as) agriculture, defence and security.
“We would wish that relationship be restored, strengthened and broadened. We, therefore, stand ready to accept more French companies. Above that, we seek cooperation with the rest of the world under our Foreign Policy of engagement and re-engagement; engagement with those who would want to engage with us and re-engagement with those who have disengaged, that is the Second Republic’s policy.”
In furtherance of the Government’s re-engagement drive, said President Mnangagwa during the State of the Nation address last week, Zimbabwe continued on its quest to be “a friend to all”.
Zimbabwe continues to seek new frontiers for investment and trade hence it is participating at the “Dubai Expo 2021” running until March next year.
“In addition to such initiatives, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade along with other ministries, departments and agencies also host trade and investment promotion events, in line with my administration’s economic diplomacy thrust,” said President Mnangagwa.
“I want to heartily commend all Zimbabweans in the Diaspora for their patriotism and contribution towards the national development agenda and building our mother country.”
Online Reporter