The European Union (EU) on Friday made a donation of 4×4 off-road motor vehicles to support the Zimbabwe Economic Partnership Agreement (ZEPA) project.
The vehicles will be utilised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development, and the National Plant Protection Office, which operates under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development.
Ambassador Pavelin Musaka, the Acting Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, expressed gratitude for the EU’s support and highlighted the alignment of this collaboration with Zimbabwe’s national goals outlined in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and the country’s vision of achieving upper-middle-income status by 2030.
Musaka said this donation underscores the EU’s role as an important partner to Zimbabwe, particularly in the country’s pursuit of economic diplomacy under the engagement and re-engagement policy of the Second Republic. Musaka said:
This occasion is a demonstration of the importance of partnerships through the availing of the necessary tools of trade for the three beneficiary institutions. Your Excellency, allow me to extend our sincere gratitude for this gesture, which is a reflection of our continued cooperation.
These vehicles we are receiving today, add to the growing list of deliverables that have been achieved through the ZEPA, which include policy reviews and capacity building, to various Ministries and Agencies such as ZimTrade, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC) and National Competitive Commission (NCC), to name a few.
I am also informed that there is also some ICT equipment yet to be delivered.
The support from the EU dovetails with the Republic of Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, ‘Towards a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society by 2030’. The advent of the Second Republic saw a major shift towards economic diplomacy that is being championed by the President, His Excellency, Dr. E.D Mnangagwa, anchored upon the national economic blueprint, the NDS1, which runs from 2021-2025.
The NDS1 aims at ensuring high, accelerated, inclusive and sustainable economic growth as well as socio-economic transformation and development as we move towards an upper middle-income society by 2030.
Speaking at the same event, Mr. Franck Porte, EU’s head of cooperation, highlighted the growing trade between Zimbabwe and the EU. Porte said trade volume increased by 25% in 2022, reaching €735 million, with Zimbabwe’s exports valued at €512 million. He added:
Trade, a cornerstone of the EU-Zimbabwe partnership, has been a focal point since May 2012 when Zimbabwe gained preferential access to the EU’s 27 markets under the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (I-EPA) together with four fellow ESA states: Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles.
Mr. Porte reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting Zimbabwe’s economic growth. He said trade has been a focal point since Zimbabwe gained preferential access to the EU’s markets in 2012 under the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (I-EPA). Porte added that the EU’s trade and development policy aims to promote inclusive growth and development in partner countries, aligning with Zimbabwe’s National Trade Policy Vision, Export Strategy, and NDS1.