HARARE – President Mnangagwa arrived back home last night from the 74th Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America, where he joined other Heads of State and Government to discuss global issues.
He met World Food Programme (WFP) executive director Mr David Beasley and several other dignitaries.
The President also addressed several business meetings to lure investors.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) was welcomed at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by Vice President Kembo Mohadi, Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Minister of State Security Owen Ncube, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda, Service Chiefs and other high-ranking Government officials.
In an interview at the airport, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo described the visit to the UN as a success.
“This was again one of the major successes scored by Zimbabwe. The whole UN agenda was to review the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and these were found to be important that they must be enacted within the strategic plan of member countries,” said Dr Moyo.
“It was quite apparent from the President’s speech that Zimbabwe had managed to embed within the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP)and five-year development programme that all these SDGs could be achieved.
“The second point is that we managed to communicate the fact that Zimbabwe was now a going concern emanating from a very dilapidated background which was characterised by isolation to a major reform with both political and legislative reforms.
“That message was put across by the President.
“There were a number of senior official meetings where they were evaluating the SDGs.”
He said President Mnangagwa took the re-engagement thrust to the UN, adding that many businesspeople that interacted with President Mnangagwa ended up asking why sanctions still remain in place.
“Above all the President managed to continue with his programme of re-engagement particularly with different communities. He met Americans not only from a political perspective but business, Americans who were actually committed. He addressed business meetings where he would have been invited, this is why a lot of businesspeople were questioning the relevance of sanctions, why sanctions are still there yet there are opportunities which could be benefitted by corporates.
“I am happy to say a lot of other member states of SADC stood the test of time according to an agreement made in Tanzania calling for the removal of sanctions; there was quite a lot of interest from the whole spectrum of interests, from Israelites, Norway after President (Mnangagwa) met Norwegian Prime Minister.
“There was quite an indication that there is a big corporate coming to Zimbabwe to exploit coalbed methane gas, they are the experts. This is an area where as a nation we were also going to benefit. I can assure you that there were more than 100 American corporates addressed by the President.”
Minister Moyo said Commonwealth secretary general, Mrs Patricia Scotland expressed optimism that Zimbabwe would be readmitted when the organisation meet next year in Kigali.
President Mnangagwa was also accompanied in new York by Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr John Mangudya.
