Harare — Cross-pollination of ideas between armies in the region is of great importance as it fosters unity in the face of common enemies, Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.

Addressing 56 Junior Staff Course graduates at the Zimbabwe Staff College in Harare last week, Minister Mnangagwa said regional military training programmes were vital to development and security.

"It is important that forces belonging to a regional body train together as this provides them with an opportunity to share ideas and understand each other.

"The skills and knowledge they acquire will be of great help to them when they conduct joint peacekeeping missions," he said.

Minister Mnangagwa said continuous training would help to improve efficiency and professional standards.

"The main objective of the course was to equip you with the requisite knowledge and skills necessary for your success in the uniformed forces.

"It was also aimed at moulding you into versatile and proficient officers in the areas of tactics, logistics, leadership, training and general management," he said.

He urged the graduates to maintain high standards of discipline that the Zimbabwe Defence Forces was renowned for.

Minister Mnangagwa urged the foreign students to be good ambassadors for Zimbabwe when they returned to their countries.

"Before you came here, you heard several bad things about Zimbabwe, but now that you have been here for 20 weeks, you definitely got a real picture of Zimbabwe," he said.

Zimbabwe Staff College commandant Brigadier-General Thomas Moyo said the course was aimed at grooming the next generation of army leaders.

"The course was aimed at grooming the officers to be able to successfully tackle challenges and command men on the battlefield.

"The officers are the future leaders of the 21st century, thus it is important that they are well-versed with latest war trends and skills. "Their curriculum included tactical, administration, peace support operations and the law of armed conflict," he said.