President Mnangagwa arrived here yesterday for the inaugural South Korea-Africa Summit and is today expected to engage in high level talks with his South Korean counterpart, President Yoon Suk Yeol, as Zimbabwe presses ahead with its engagement and re-engagement drive.
According to the official programme, President Mnangagwa will be joined in the meeting by Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Fredrick Shava and Zimbabwe's Ambassador to South Korea, Mr Stewart Nyakotyo.
The summit, being held under the theme: "The Future We Make Together: Shared Growth, Sustainability and Solidarity", starts tomorrow and ends on Wednesday.
Zimbabwean delegation members are set to sign deals with their South Korean counterparts during the summit.
The Zimbabwean team has hit the ground running, with Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Shava penning an agreement with his South Korea counterpart, Mr Cho Tae-Yul, on air services on the sidelines of the summit.
The air services agreement on cooperation and assistance between Zimbabwe and South Korea is a deal that will play a crucial role in shaping international aviation policy and fostering cooperation between the two countries.
In his speech during the signing ceremony, Dr Shava said this year marked the 30th anniversary since the two countries established diplomatic relations.
"I hope you will agree with me that we need to do something different to strengthen our relations. I have been thinking that it's time to move into a new era, where we will focus more on business-to-business relations, bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
"I am optimistic that signing the Memorandum of Understanding on establishing a framework on trade and investment promotion between my ministry and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will strengthen cooperation in the trade sector," he said.
Dr Shava said Zimbabwe was grateful for the technical support and scholarships that complemented the Government's efforts in enhancing human capital development in line with the National Development Strategy (NDS1).
"We also appreciate the support extended by the Government of the Republic of Korea to Zimbabwe through the Korea Programme on International Agriculture (KOPIA), in the agricultural sector.
"Agriculture is the mainstay of the Zimbabwean economy and Zimbabwe is ready to further strengthen cooperation in agricultural production and enhance the productivity of farmers. I am delighted to note that Zimbabwe is joining the Korea Rice Belt Initiative. The project will go a long way towards increasing rice production for food security and nutrition. This will also hopefully, reduce our country's rice import bill."
Zimbabwe used to receive over 20 000 tourists from South Korea annually before Covid-19, but the number has since decreased to around 2 000 and Dr Shava thanked his counterpart for efforts that were being made to encourage Koreans to visit Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is home to Victoria Falls, the Great Zimbabwe Monuments, Eastern Highlands and the various safaris that have received worldwide acclaim.
"Zimbabwe stands ready to draw lessons from the Korean development experience and in the same vein, I reiterate that Zimbabwe remains open for business. I invite the Korean business community to explore investment opportunities in the country.
"I hope the entry into force of the BIPPA between Zimbabwe and Korea in April 2021 will boost Korean investor confidence. Our Government has also implemented several Ease of Doing Business reforms, aimed at making Zimbabwe not only an investor-friendly country, but also a competitive investment destination in Africa. But for us to truly unlock our full potential, we need all sanctions imposed on us to be removed.
"I hope you can add your voice to our call for the lifting of all sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe. Everyone stands to gain from an unencumbered Zimbabwe performing to its full economic potential," he said.
Dr Shava called on South Korea to collaborate with Zimbabwe to exploit the abundant natural resources in the country, riding on Korean technology.
Zimbabwe has huge opportunities available in the mining sector, which include exploitation of lithium, diamonds, gold and iron ore, among other minerals.
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"Honourable Minister, I have noted with interest that South Korea has expertise in developing industrialised rural villages (through the 'New Village Movement' Programme) and smart cities. We would be happy to collaborate with South Korea in this area as we work towards modernising 35 000 villages country-wide, and building new smart cities," he said.
Dr Shava said Zimbabwe wished to tap into Korea's expertise in information technology through capacity-building support in the areas of artificial intelligence, cyber-security, e-commerce and e-governance.
"In order to achieve this, I believe the establishment of a Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC) with the Republic of Korea, formalised through a structured format, can be an avenue to enhance cooperation in various areas," he said.
Dr Shava requested the South Korean government to classify Zimbabwe as an English-speaking country to enable it to teach the English language in the Asian nation. English is an official language in Zimbabwe and the sole medium of instruction at all levels of education.
