Zimbabwe Asset Gets Namibia Nod

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, (left) along with Hifikipunye Pohamba of Namibia and Kikwete of Tanzania. The SADC national liberation parties seek to re-ignite fraternal relations., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Zim Asset gets Namibia nod

November 22, 2013
Zimbabwe Herald
Freeman Razemba Senior Reporter

NAMIBIA has hailed Government’s new economic blue print, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset) as a tool for stimulation economic growth.

Namibian ambassador to Zimbabwe, Malawi and Madagascar Ms Balbina Daes Pienaar said it was time for other countries, including hers, to cooperate with Zimbabwe. She was speaking after paying a courtesy call on Acting President Joice Mujuru at her Munhumutapa offices yesterday.

“The meeting with the Acting President was well timed and constructive,” said Ms Pienaar. “The focus was to look at ways on how we could strengthen the already existing cordial and friendly relations between Namibia and Zimbabwe.

“It is quite impressive to see how dedicated, how committed the Zimbabwean Government is. The recently launched economic blue print called Zim Asset is such a beautiful tool, creating a conducive economic environment and now it’s the time for us as friends, as sisters to the Government, to extend a hand of cooperation.” Ms Pienaar said the economic blueprint would enable the Namibian Government to come up with focused areas of cooperation.

“The discussion I had with the Acting President was quite encouraging because now we are having a people’s Government in place. People are already ruling and it is now time to focus on how we could enhance the economic growth in both countries, how we could empower the local communities and how we can all benefit from the resources we are having in our countries. We are rich countries,” Ms Pienaar said.

She said the Hwange Thermal Power Station project between Zimbabwe and Namibia proved that the two Governments could join forces on capital projects.

Namibian power utility NamPower recently expressed interest in rehabilitating Harare and Bulawayo thermal power stations at an estimated cost of US$175 million.

The interest was expressed through a delegation from Namibia that was in the country in August.

In 2007, NamPower provided a US$40 million loan for rehabilitation of Hwange Thermal Power Station and under the arrangement, Zimbabwe repaid the loan through power supplies.

Acting President Mujuru said it was a pleasure to note that the two countries kept their relations since Zimbabwe’s independence.

She said she noted that the two countries had also realised the importance of promoting women to high offices.

Meanwhile, a delegation from Brazil, Angolan ambassador Mr Pedro Hendrik Vaal Neto and Sudanese ambassador Mr Hamdan Wadi Dldoom Ebeidalla also paid courtesy calls on Acting President Mujuru yesterday.

Mr Dieter Hopf said the main purpose of the visit was to collect information on various infrastructural projects in the country.

“We want to start working here based on projects funded from Brazil,” he said. “We want to bring Brazilian technology to Zimbabwe and to improve all the infrastructure in the country.”

Mr Hopf said they were preparing proposals to assist on the US$3 billion Batoka Gorge Hydroelectricity Scheme which is set to start by the end of next year.

“I think we have a very good chance to be very successful because Brazil is one of the major hydro power countries in the world where 70 percent of all the energy is produced from hydro power,” he said.

Angolan ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Neto said they would continue strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
Mr Ebeidalla, the new Sudanese ambassador, said he had to meet Acting President Mujuru to get advice and instructions on how he should discharge his responsibilities in the country.

“Since I have presented my credentials, the first thing is to meet with the leadership of the country in order to discharge responsibilities,” he said.

Mr Ebeidalla said he was going to make sure that the two countries’ relations would continue strengthen.