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Minister Mumbengegwi

Herald Reporter—
Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi yesterday met African envoys accredited to Zimbabwe to appraise them on the proceedings and outcomes of the just-ended African Union summit which saw President Mugabe being elected chairperson. Speaking after the briefing, Democratic Republic of Congo ambassador to Zimbabwe, who is also Dean of African diplomats, Ambassador Mwanananga Mwawampanga said Africa will rally behind President Mugabe to drive the African agenda.

“We have just had a brief from the Foreign Affairs Minister about the summit in Addis and the elevation of His Excellency to the chairmanship of the AU,” he said.

“It was such a brief that I don’t know where to start, but all I can tell you is that we were all very pleased and we are all behind the President to drive the African agenda for this year and beyond.

“The minister told us that there is going to be a summit in South Africa in June where the Agenda 2063, which is mostly based on the role of transport infrastructure and energy development, without which the continent cannot develop itself.”

Mr Mwawampanga said they also discussed about Boko Haram terrorist group which is wreaking havoc in West Africa, especially Nigeria.

Minister Mumbengegwi said he briefed the African ambassadors on the proceedings and outcomes of the AU summit in Addis Ababa.

“We discussed alternative ways of raising finance for the organisation in terms of the adoption of the Agenda 2063 and how we can focus on infrastructure, energy and communication in the first 10-year plan, as you know Agenda 2063 is going to be implemented in five and 10 year plans and the first 10 years are starting this year under the chairmanship of our own President Mugabe, which is extremely important,” he said.

Minister Mumbengegwi said the AU wanted to raise its own financial resources and shun away from donor dependency.