Sweden pledges Zim support
SWEDEN is set to send a business delegation to Zimbabwe to explore investment opportunities in a show of confidence by Stockholm in the new dispensation led by President Mnangagwa.
The Western country has also pledged $50 million per year to support Zimbabwe in various areas like health, climate, women empowerment and human rights.
This was said by outgoing Swedish ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mrs Sofia Calltorp addressing journalists soon after paying a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa at his Munhumutapa offices.
“Sweden has a long term commitment to Zimbabwe, we have a new development cooperation strategy under which we will invest around $50 million a year focusing on democracy, human rights, health, environment and climate. We also focus very much on gender equality to see how we can be helpful to ensure gender balance in Zimbabwe. We have also looked at business cooperation and we are just now having Swedish business delegation visiting Zimbabwe. We are of course looking at investment opportunities,” said Mrs Calltorp.
“In our development cooperation strategy we focus on democracy, human rights and climate. That there are areas on business opportunities. We want to help Zimbabwean women to be empowered and take part in political life.”
She described her discussion with President Mnangagwa as fruitful.
“We had a very fruitful meeting with the President. We discussed about the long standing relationship with Zimbabwe. We discussed how Sweden can support Zimbabwe in this critical juncture on the economy and elections and critical issues that Zimbabwe is facing,” said Mrs Calltorp.
President Mnangagwa later met outgoing Mozambican ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Pedro Davane who said bi-lateral relations between the two countries were set to deepen.
“We are talking on the improvement of transport network. President Mnangagwa mentioned about transport network. The Zimbabwean economy is about to take off, to boom, and ofcourse it will involve a lot of exports and for the exports to move speedily you need transport network like railways, this is the area my Government is very much interested to work with Zimbabwe. There are so many ideas and I am sure sooner than later some of the projects are going to take off,” said Mr Davane.