Government has approved three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Ghana and Belarus aimed at strengthening cooperation in energy, higher education, science, technology, sport and recreation.
Speaking during today’s Post-Cabinet briefing in Harare, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Soda Zhemu said the agreements between the Republic of Zimbabwe and its partners are expected to deepen bilateral relations while supporting national development priorities.
“The Memorandum of Understanding between the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Republic of Ghana on cooperation in the field of energy was considered and approved by Cabinet after being presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs as Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Legislation,” said Zhemu.
He said the agreement will strengthen economic ties between the two countries while creating opportunities in the energy sector.
“The envisaged cooperation will foster stronger economic ties and enhance the existing friendly relations between the two countries.
The Memorandum of Understanding outlines parameters for collaboration in key areas, including renewable energy, oil, gas, electricity and petroleum,” he added
Zhemu added that the energy MoU will help Zimbabwe improve energy security and infrastructure.
“The MoU offers strategic benefits for Zimbabwe such as enhancing security of energy supply, electricity trading, infrastructure development, promotion of renewable energy, and capacity-building in the transition to clean energy in order to accelerate its deployment,” he said.
On the second agreement with Ghana, Zhemu said Cabinet also approved a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in higher and tertiary education, science and technology development.
“The Memorandum of Understanding seeks to provide a legal framework for academic and scientific collaboration between the two sister republics in order to promote human capital development,” he said.
He noted that the agreement will expand opportunities for institutions and students.
“It provides a structured framework for collaboration between universities, polytechnics, teacher education colleges and research institutions, thereby expanding opportunities for students, lecturers and researchers to access training, research partnerships and international best practices,” said Zhemu.
He added that the MoU will support industrialisation through research and innovation.
“The MoU will facilitate staff development, curriculum innovation and joint research projects in strategic fields such as agriculture, mining and medicine, which are critical to industrialisation,” he said.
Zhemu also announced that Cabinet approved a Memorandum of Understanding between Zimbabwe and Belarus on cooperation in sport and recreation.
“The Memorandum promotes cooperation in the field of sport through exchange of experts, reciprocal hosting of tournaments, sharing of information on anti-doping procedures, sports laws and sports medicine, as well as the establishment of talent development centres,” he said.
He said the agreement will also promote knowledge sharing in sports infrastructure and elite performance.
“The parties will exchange knowledge on high-performance sport, production of sports literature, and the establishment and management of sporting facilities,” said Zhemu.
Zimbabwe continues to sign bilateral agreements with friendly countries as part of Government’s engagement and re-engagement policy aimed at strengthening economic cooperation, improving human capital development and promoting cultural and sporting exchanges in line with Vision 2030.
