UPDATED: ED arrives in Botswana for BNC President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Botswana counterpart Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi inspect a Guard of Honour at the Maun International Airport in Botswana yesterday (Picture by Presidential photographer Joseph Nyadzayo)

Prosper Ndlovu in MAUN, Botswana

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa arrived here yesterday for the 2nd Botswana-Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission (BNC) and will today witness the signing of seven Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements, which will further elevate relations between the two neighbouring countries.

The President and his delegation were welcomed at Maun International Airport by Botswana President, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, International Affairs and Co-operation Minister Dr Unity Dow, Zimbabwean Ambassador to Botswana Mr Henry Mukonoweshuro and the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Dr James Manzou.

Today’s programme is packed and will see President Mnangagwa hold a “tete-a-tete” with his Botswana counterpart before official proceedings, which will start this morning. 

The two Presidents will co-chair today’s session and also deliver their remarks before the release of a joint communique, which will mark the end of the conference.

President Mnangagwa was accompanied by Government Ministers Professor Mthuli Ncube (Finance and Economic Development), Cde Monica Mutsvangwa (Information, Media and Broadcasting Services), Dr Obadiah Moyo (Health and Child Care) and Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet in charge of Presidential Communications, Cde George Charamba.

Already, six ministers and senior government officials have been here since Tuesday for preliminary talks with their Botswana counterparts. The ministers include Dr Sibusiso Moyo (Foreign Affairs), Dr Sekai Nzenza (Industry and Commerce), Oppah Muchinguri (Defence), Kazembe Kazembe (Home Affairs), Mangaliso Ndlovu (Environment and Tourism) and Winston Chitando (Mines and Mining Development).

Soon after arrival President Mnangagwa had a closed door briefing with his ministers for close to two hours in preparation for tomorrow’s crunch engagements.

Relations between Zimbabwe and Botswana marked a turning point following the ushering in of the new dispensation led by President Mnangagwa whose international re-engagement drive continues to impact positively on the economic transformation front. 

From being sworn enemies in the last few years during the tenures of former Presidents the late Robert Mugabe and Seretse Khama Ian Khama, Zimbabwe and Botswana have opened a new diplomatic page, which is set to not only boost their respective economies, but also forge closer political ties.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe and Botswana are expected to sign seven MoUs and agreements today when Presidents Mnangagwa and Dr Masisi meet here during the ongoing 2nd Zim-Bots Bi-National Commission (BNC). 

Since the successful holding of the inaugural session of the BNC in Harare in February last year, there have been several meetings between Zimbabwean and Botswana officials in pursuance of common objectives under the upgraded relations. 

Botswana Minister of International Affairs and Co-operation, Dr Dow, yesterday said a lot of progress has been done since last year’s engagements.

“The status of MoUs and Agreements between the two countries currently stands at 39 and 13 of these have been signed, with six MoUs signed during the inaugural session of the BNC in February 2019, in Harare.

“Twenty-seven (27) are still pending, out of which I am happy to note that the seven are ready for signature during this session,” she told delegates to the Ministerial session. 

 Dr Dow stressed the need for review meetings on implementation to yield responsive approaches to the needs of the citizens. There is also a need to find solutions to those challenges that hinder implementation in areas where progress is lagging. 

Her Zimbabwean counterpart, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Dr Moyo, who co-chaired the gathering with Dr Dow, also concurred and commended senior officials from the two countries for working hard to lay the foundation for monitoring and implementation of the agreements and decisions.

“I am pleased to note that 13 agreements and MoUs in various fields currently exist between our two countries, with the latest signed being the MoU on combating corruption. Furthermore, I am informed that several agreements and MoUs are ready for signing during this BNC Session, thereby signaling an expansion of co-operation between our sister countries,” he said.

“The decision by Presidents Mnangagwa and Dr Masisi to elevate bilateral engagements to a Bi-National Commission was, indeed, in recognition of the ever-increasing scope and scale of co-operation in the different sectors of the two countries’ economies. Co-operation between Zimbabwe and Botswana covers a wide range of areas, which include; agriculture, energy, health, defense, security, education, culture, tourism, environment, immigration, mining, science and technology, transport, trade and industry as well as sports and recreation.” 

As such, Dr Moyo said, the senior officials’ review meetings in-between BNC sessions were very critical as they lay the building blocks for the next BNC session.

“We therefore, expect reports on progress not excuses for inaction. We also anticipate that the senior officials will introduce new ideas that breathe life into our relationship instead of being hamstrung by issues from the previous session,” he said.

The Minister was quick to point out that the signing of these agreements was not an end in itself but should pave way for bolstering bilateral co-operation and the transformation of the two economies.

 “It is only through diligent implementation of these instruments that we will be able to deliver a better life to our peoples, who after all, are the centrepiece of our bilateral relationship,” said Dr Moyo.

Dr Moyo further revealed that Zimbabwe and Botswana were set to sign an MoU on co-operation in health matters given that the meeting comes in the shadow of another potential global pandemic, the Coronavirus. The pandemic has now been declared a “public health emergency of international concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“The rapid spread of this virus has demonstrated once again our vulnerability to the negative aspects of globalisation. It is, therefore, fortuitous that we have decided to co-operate in health matters and certainly in that regard our officials should jointly identify robust methods of combating and curbing the spread of communicable diseases,” he said.

 

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