BY DR MASIMBA MAVAZA in Belgium.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe went to Brussels seeking to re-engage with a post-UK EU gathering and he came back with more than re engagement.
The 6th European Union EU-African Union AU summit in Belgium brought all Southern African heads of state and their representatives with high hopes for their respective countries. Many leaders landed in Brussels fully aware that they will come back with positive vibes having been fully alive to the role the EU had played in the region’s development agenda.
Zimbabwe had missed a lot when the EU and its member states gave support to regional integration in southern Africa since the early 2000. Zimbabwe had sped of the rail and missed a lot of grants which its neighbours benefitted from the EU. The EU has provided over €415 million (R8.3 billion) of support to SADC’s regional integration process, in addition to bilateral funding to individual states Zimbabwe die to sanctions only got the left overs.
This year the President cde Emerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa attended the summit breaking all the barriers set by the decades of sanctions.
This summit was a key moment and opportunity to strengthen political and economic ties between the two continents and in as many decades Zimbabwe took a front seat and with the genius diplomacy of our chief diplomat Emerson MNANGAGWA clinched many deals for Zimbabwe. The president together with some leaders led discussions on how both continents can build greater prosperity for their countries.
The President left the summit after steering the launch of an ambitious Africa-Europe Investment Package, taking into account global challenges such as climate change and the current health crisis. Never again will Zimbabwe be left behind in international developments. Thanks to the wisdom of the president zimbabwe got on board in all developmental issues.
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who along with some government ministers and ruling party members are on targeted sanctions, but managed to front the re-engagement with Europe. The summit was more than a success to the Zimbabwean re engagement program.
Zimbabwe was seeking to consolidate its pillar policy engagement with an ultimate view to normalise relations with the EU bloc and United Kingdom.
Since the coming into power of Emerson Mnangagwa the EU has been lifting components of sanctions and Zimbabwe as a result has been invited to several high profile meetings. With the United Kingdom out of the EU the attitude towards Zimbabwe has changed and the road to total re engagement has become more clearer for the eventual removal of all sanctions, and putting Zimbabwe back on the world map.
President Mnangagwa while in Brussels met top EU diplomats.
During their deliberations, he asked for improved economic cooperation. The President of Mozambique in the other hand requested for increased support from the EU in fighting an insurgency in the gas- and oil-rich province of Cabo Delgado.
President Mnangagwa concurred with the efforts to obtain support for Mozambique in fighting the Islamic terrorists in Mozambique. A peaceful neighbour brings a peaceful and economic growth.
Since solutions to promote stability and security through a renewed peace and security architecture in Africa was on the agenda, President Mnangagwa took full advantage of lobbing for military support for Mozambique.
Despite the negative comments by the Zimbabwean opposition cde Mnangagwa managed to penetrate in areas Zimbabwe has been failing to penetrate for decades.
This trip was a success and cde Mnangagwa should be applauded for this diplomatic success.
Together with the President was the minister of Finance and the minister if foreign affairs. The minister if finance had the opportunity to woo investors into Zimbabwe. He had fruitful engagements with the
African Development Bank Group (AFDB) which was represented by its president, Dr Akinwumi A Adesina.
Zimbabwe took this opportunity to request access to vaccine and medical assistance.
Zimbabwe boasts of having created its own oxygen manufacturing company. Zimbabwe now exports oxygen to its neighbours.
In his efforts to re engage the President renewed calls for increased Covid-19 vaccine access for Africa and Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to the continent from the International Monetary Fund. The president called for a greater access to Covid-19 vaccines and the reallocation of $100 billion in International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Rights to Africa.
The president has set the ball rolling for the establishment of an African financial stability mechanism, modelled on the existing European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism. Minister Mthuli Ncube was on hand to clarify and explain the financial need and how this would give stability to our finances.
The president called for a decisive partnership between Africa and Europe.
While there has been a lot of talk and a lot of derogative speeches by the opposition the president made it clear that this is time for action.
Zimbabwe took this huge opportunity in the EU’s new strategy for critical raw materials calls for diversification in supply chains, potentially opening up a big market for Zimbabwe’s lithium, chrome, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements, not to mention other “green future opportunities.
The listening president urged Africa to unite so that we will not be taken advantage of.
In December 2021, the EU unveiled a €300bn, “Global Gateway” investment strategy, outlining green transition and access to energy, the digital transition, growth and employment, and peace and migration as its key areas of interest.The Global Gateway strategy is a template for how Europe can build more resilient connections with the world,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
While the multibillion investments are pinned on, among others, strengthening health, education, digital and climate change transition and research systems across Africa and the world, here is the bigger picture: The EU is looking for new ways to power its low-carbon economy and transition to a green future by becoming a climate-neutral bloc by 2050.
To support this mega transition, it will require a huge, diverse and sustainable supply of rare earth metals and other critical raw materials for the production of wind turbines, solar panels, robotics and electric cars from resource-rich countries, many of which are in Zimbabwe.
While the scramble for political and economic influence in Africa by these world powers has become familiar now – and the jostle for Africa + 1 summitry seems only to be gaining steam.
Zimbabwe made it clear that any partnership should and must be on equal partnership basis. Africa will not allow itself to be taken advantage of this time. The French President Emmanuel Macron in December 2021 affirmed he will be seeking to “rebuild an economic and financial New Deal with Africa” as a priority among his programmes for the country.
The European Union has welcomed more than 40 African leaders to Brussels in an effort to reassert its influence on a continent where China and Russia have made hefty investment inroads, and where many felt let down by Europe’s COVID-19 vaccines rollout. So Europe is determined to make any partnership with Africa a win win situation. The EU did offer several packages of support at the EU-AU summit to bolster health, education and stability in Africa, and it pledged half of a new 300 billion euros ($340.9bn) investment drive launched to rival China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In order for Europe to be the main important partner in Africa it came with fair deals which did not take advantage of Africa.
In this process Zimbabwe’s chief diplomat Cde Emerson Mnangagwa won in the best interest of zimbabwe.
The chair for African Union Senegal’s President Macky Sall,said it was a “fresh start for a renewed partnership”.
Zimbabwe emphasised that European countries “really do want to change the relationship”.European leaders have understood that Africa is a neighbouring continent and that they need to change the relationship and bring it closer back to Europe. They feel the heat of competition … as the Chinese and others are very involved now for the last couple of decades in the African continent,” he said from London. On raw materials Madagascar is estimated to reach 9,900 metric tonnes in 2020 as lithium production in Zimbabwe soars to 65,000 metric tonnes in 2021. Botswana and Zimbabwe also have nickel while South Africa has copper and lithium resources.
Africa also boasts reserves of that rarest of rare earth metal – scandium. It has the ability to increase the strength and reduce the weight of vehicle components and is beginning to show up as the most potent alloy for most electric vehicle-making metals.
So to our detractors liking it or not ED is bagging all mega deals to the best interest of Zimbabwe.
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