Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Dr Fredrick Shava
By Tanaka Gwanyanya
Zimbabwe will on the 13-15th of December 2022 attend the US-Africa Leaders Summit at the invitation of the United States of America President, Joe Biden.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Dr Fredrick Shava will lead the Zimbabwean delegation to Washington DC, where the country is expected to strengthen the Zimbabwe-US relations as it pushes its engagement and re-engagement agenda.
President Mnangagwa who is upbeat about the progress being made on the re-engament policy, spoke highly of the invitation when he presented the State on Nation Address at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden recently.
“Zimbabwe’s foreign policy of Engagement and Re-engagement, as well as our thrust to be a “friend to all and an enemy to none,” continues to bear fruit.”
“Our country welcomes the invitation to attend the US-Africa Summit in December, 2022 and emphasis remains on dialogue and multilateralism as the best option to resolve today’s global challenges,” he said.
President Mnangagwa also said his government had refocused its envoys towards economic diplomacy and diaspora engagement.
“Our diplomatic missions have been re-focussed towards economic diplomacy and diaspora engagement to attract investment and mutually beneficial partnerships,” he added.
As part of this thrust, last month Zimbabwean ambassadors signed performance based contracts at Munhumutapa Building in Harare at an occassion presided over by Dr Fredrick Shava.
The US-Africa summit will convene African governments, civil society, diaspora communities across the United States, and the private sector in the pursuit of a shared vision for the future of U.S.-Africa relations.
Building on shared values, the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit will seek to better foster new economic engagement; reinforce the U.S.-Africa commitment to democracy and human rights; mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and future pandemics; work collaboratively to strengthen regional and global health; promote food security; advance peace and security; respond to the climate crisis; and amplify diaspora ties.
49 African countries have been invited as well as an envoy from the African Union.
According to US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs’ deputy assistant secretary, Robert Scott, the first day of the Summit will see a series of forums – an African and Diaspora Young Leaders forum; a civil society forum; a peace, security and governance forum as well as discussions on climate and health.
The second day would be dedicated to the US-Africa Business Forum, and a full day of opportunities for African and US businesses to come together with delegations from the continent.
President Biden will engagement with heads of state and governments on the third day with focus on democracy, human rights, and governance.
“The idea here is again to look at the linkages between democratic institutions and governance and how they impact long-term peace and prosperity.
“We will see our secretaries of state and defence and the administrator of the US Agency for International Development coming together with a set of African leaders to talk about these inter-linkages,” he said.
