eBusiness Weekly
HARARE – Zimbabwe and Mozambique intend to deepen economic ties through joint implementation of infrastructure projects that benefit both countries, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Wednesday.
President Mnangagwa said this after holding a lengthy closed door meeting with his Mozambican counterpart, Felipe Nyusi here.
He said infrastructure projects such as road and rail networks topped discussions between the two leaders.
“We have discussed about how we can upgrade our economic cooperation between Zimbabwe and Mozambique particularly in relation to infrastructure development that is rail, road, transportation of fuel, the pipeline,” he said.
“In all those areas we found common ground to consolidate our relations with a view to modernising and growing our two respective economies.”
Already, the two Southern African neighbours jointly operate a pipeline that transports fuel into Zimbabwe, while it also utilises the Mozambican port of Beira for imports and exports.
As such, development of new transport infrastructure linking both countries is of strategic importance.
On the regional front, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana already have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see construction of a railway line linking the three countries The railway line will link, Francis town in Botswana to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe and the port of Techobanine in Mozambique.
President Mnangagwa, who is in Maputo for the 12th U.S.-Africa business summit, said the two leaders also explored the possibility of Zimbabwe getting electricity from Mozambique.
Zimbabwe is currently facing electricity shortages which are a result of reduced generation at Kariba power station following a drought.
“I was appealing to my brother that Cahora Bassa is around 99 percent full so the generation there has not been affected. We felt that we can look and see whether Zimbabwe can access energy from Cahora Bassa,” he said.
The drought, President Mnangagwa said had also rendered some parts of Zimbabwe food insecure.
“I was briefing His Excellency the President about the current food insecurity in Zimbabwe as a result of the drought and also the fact that our energy sector has gone down as a result of that drought.” – New Ziana
