Victoria Falls, The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Prof. Amon Murwira, addressed the 22nd Africa-Nordic Foreign Ministries Meeting this afternoon, which is being held in the resort city of Victoria Falls.
In his remarks, Prof Murwira said Africa’s relationship with the Nordic countries has always been defined by collaboration and support for decolonization rather than a legacy of colonisation.
He noted that this history reflected Africa’s pursuit of self-determination and explained that the enduring partnership between Africa and the Nordics continues to thrive.
Prof. Murwira said, no one wanted to see a poor corner of the world, adding that poverty itself was the first and most serious threat facing societies.
He explained that industrialisation, understood as the mass production of goods, was central to enhancing human dignity because it ensured that people had food and basic necessities.
He urged delegates to use the meeting as a platform to mobilise international support for the full implementation of Agenda 2030 and the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
He noted that the theme of the summit was aligned with all the goals, particularly Goal Nine, which promotes resilient infrastructure, sustainable industrialisation and innovation.
For Zimbabwe, he said, achieving this goal would have a multiplier effect on all other objectives, especially the overarching aim of eradicating poverty and ensuring integrity, dignity and prosperity for all.
He said collaboration between Africa and the Nordic countries was important because what societies achieved, whether positive or negative, was always a reflection of the knowledge, skills and attitudes of their people.
He argued that a nation could only go as far as its people’s knowledge and abilities could take it, and that the state of the world was in many ways a reflection of the level of its economies and systems.
