Source: Zim, Zambia strengthen trade ties – herald
Thupeyo Muleya recently in LUSAKA, Zambia
Zimbabwe and Zambia are boosting trade relations, amid plans to enhance economic cooperation through various initiatives, the country’s ambassador to the neighbouring nation, Charity Charamba, has said.
In an interview in Lusaka, ahead of the recently held joint Kavalamanja/Kakaro commemorations, Ambassador Charamba revealed that a warehouse is being constructed by ZimTrade near the Kasumbalesa border to facilitate trade.
“This will enable us to bring our products here and expand our reach to Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said the Ambassador.
“The move is expected to unlock untapped markets for Zimbabwean products in both countries. As the two nations, we are leveraging regional trade agreements such as COMESA and SADC to promote duty-free trade.
“Our trade relations are interlinked, and we do a lot of economic activities together. We are having the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) team doing a roadshow for the upcoming ZITF in April.”
Ambassador Charamba said that last year, more than 30 Zimbabwean companies participated at the agriculture show in Zambia.
She said this year they are expecting more Zambian companies to attend the ZITF next month, as the two nations continue to cement trade relations across all sectors.
The top diplomat also noted increased informal trade between the two peoples.
“We see a lot of traffic going either side of the border. In terms of the implementation of bilateral agreements, we have various sectoral joint committees meeting — for example, the Joint Tourism Technical Committee — and we anticipate other activities from other sectors,” said Ambassador Charamba.
“We have had our two Ministers (Energy and Power Development) meeting in Bulawayo over the Batoka electricity scheme, where we have noted some significant progress. We hope to continue on that track ahead of the next Bi-National Commission being held here in Zambia in 2027.”
She also encouraged Zimbabweans and Zambians to abide by local laws when visiting or doing business in either country.
“We have relations on education where we have children from Zimbabwe and Zambia learning in both countries, and above that our President, Dr Mnangagwa, is having the ED–UNZA Scholarship initiative established to support academically talented but financially disadvantaged students,” said the Ambassador.
“It covers tuition and related academic expenses for students pursuing degrees in fields like Sciences, Medicine and Law at State universities in Zimbabwe and the University of Zambia.”
Ambassador Charamba said they are witnessing a growing number of students from both countries enrolling at various institutions of higher learning.
“We are stronger as Siamese twins with Zambia, and we also have ongoing programmes through cultural and sports diplomacy,” she added.
“Right now, we are jointly hosting the Kavalamanja/Kakaro commemorations in Luangwa District, where Zambia lost both soldiers and civilians, and we lost our freedom fighters during the bombings by the colonial regime in March 1978.”
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