Zimbabwe’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ambassador James Manzou has called upon the governments of Malawi and Zimbabwe to remain committed to the implementation of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) signed between the two countries in order to ensure success.
He was speaking Sunday at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe during the official opening of the 11th session of the Malawi-Zimbabwe Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation (JPCC).
The meeting, expected to end on Tuesday, is being held ahead of a three-day state visit to Malawi of Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mnangagwa is expected to visit Malawi from May 31, to June 2, 2023.
Manzou said there has been good progress in the cooperation as evidenced by the implementation of various MoUs but observed more needs to be done.
“While it is important to point out and highlight areas where we have made progress, we must also reflect on areas where we have failed to move forward.
“Under the economic cluster, we still await progress in the negotiation of agreements in cooperation in agriculture and mining; two very important pillars in the economies of our countries,” he said.
Manzou said since the resuscitation of the Zimbabwe-Malawi JPCC, more than 20 agreements and MoUs have been exchanged. However, most of these legal instruments have not been finalised.
“In this regard, there is need to conclude these instruments of bilateral cooperation for the mutual benefit of the people of our two countries,” he said.
Malawi’s Principal Secretary responsible for Legal in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mary Kachale said there is need to critically examine the progress achieved in the implementation of the MoU and commitments made at the 10th session of the JPCC held in Harare, Zimbabwe in 2020.
“I believe that having a result oriented approach and practical timeframes will enable us make mileage in deriving benefits out of these engagements for sustainable social economic growth that will benefit the people of our two nations,” she said.
According to Kachale, the two countries will further deliberate on various areas of cooperation which will include, trade, information, agriculture and economy, among others.
