Big day for country’s debt, arrears resolution process
ZIMBABWE will today meet some of its creditors and development partners during a conference aimed at updating them on the country’s debt and arrears clearance process.
The engagement will be held on the sidelines of the ongoing annual meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The interaction, dubbed “The Round Table on Zimbabwe Debt Arrears Clearance” to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh, is expected to run from 5:30pm until 7pm (4:30pm to 6pm in Zimbabwe).
In an interview yesterday, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said the crucial meeting away from home, provides Zimbabwe an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to settle the debt and arrears.
“Today (yesterday) is the first day of the annual meetings of the African Development Bank and His Excellency (President Mnangagwa) is here leading the Zimbabwe delegation of which I am part of,” said Prof Ncube.
“Tomorrow (today) we have a special on Zimbabwe’s arrears clearance programme where again His Excellency himself will be presenting on the process so far.
“He will be assisted by the champion, who is the president of the African Development Bank (Dr Akinwumi Adesina) who will be giving a briefing to the board of governors and board of directors of the African Development Bank.”
President Mnangagwa will also be explaining what has taken place so far in the debt and arrears clearance process, and“show that Zimbabwe is committed to this process”, said Prof Ncube.
Former Mozambique President Joachim Chissano, who is the high-level facilitator of Zimbabwe’s debt and arrears clearance process, is also in Sharm el-Sheikh to engage with creditors and development partners.
Said Prof Ncube:“So we expect this meeting to go well and again, it will show that the world is committed to supporting Zimbabwe’s debt and arrears clearance process.”
A flier advertising the conference that was prepared by the AfDB says Zimbabwe’s long outstanding debt (and) arrears continue to be a “major impediment to its socio-economic development”.
“The AfDB is leading the
MINISTERS of Health from the African continent have agreed to champion the reformation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a bid to coordinate and better respond to future pandemics as well as building resilient and efficient health systems.
The move by the African block comes on the back of the developing world, particularly Africa, having been left exposed and marginalised in the distribution of vaccines and other mitigatory paraphernalia in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The developing world’s malignment and segregation came on the back of previous warnings and lamentations that the world health structure and systems in their present form were skewed against smaller economies.
Alive to the prospect of Covid-19 recurring or the coming of new pandemics, the African block met on the sidelines of the 76th edition of the World Health Assembly (WHA) and took a stand to reform WHO so it can better save the world populace in its entirety without prejudice in the event of a global pandemic.
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira is leading Zimbabwe’s participation at WHA76 in place of Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Constantino Chiwenga.
Speaking to journalists after the African Ministers’ meeting, Professor Murwira said Africa realised that the world would have more pandemics in future and now was the time to deal and address with exclusionary policies and strategies.
He said the African Ministers of Health met with the objective of looking at future pandemics, reforming the WHO regulations and were now in the process of reviewing the regulations of WHO in the light of the possibility of future pandemics.
“So, learning from what happened during Covid-19 where there was maldistribution of vaccines, of PPES (Personal Protective Equipment) its now important that we review our future based on our experience that we have had,” said Prof Murwira.
“So, the African Ministers met under the leadership of Kenya to really look at what is it in for Africa when it comes to future pandemics. Key issues such as lifting of intellectual property, how will we deal with that in the future, issues of vaccines, issues of distribution and collective reactions.
“We believe it was a very important meeting to just have a common understanding of what is facing us and how we construct a future of the WHO with new regulations.”
The recommendations from the African block were to the effect that the continent had to react to future pandemics in a way that was better than the way it reacted to Covid-19 which was very fragmented.
“Countries started closing their borders, cooperation was limited, however, it opened up with the leadership of the WHO, but it happened later,” he said. “Going forward, we actually expect to have rules at the beginning.”
The call to reform WHO comes at a time when Africa and other parts of the developing world have been calling for several international bodies, including the United Nations itself, to be reformed so that they can be inclusive and save all member states rather than being skewed in favour of the so-called super powers.