Lessons for Zimbabwe from the Russia-Ukraine conflict

We have abundant iron ore deposits; we have chrome in abundance; we have invested in numerous coking coal batteries in Hwange.

All the key factors are in place, in one national space.

The stage is now set to fire our iron and steel foundries, in the process creating thousands of jobs for our young people, and realising more than US$1 billion in savings.

All this buttresses our goal to industrialise and modernise our economy, for which iron and steel are key, along set industrial value chains.

But as our iron and steel investments pick pace, we have come to realise two key missing links: road and rail networks, and good, deep ports we require for our surplus iron and steel to reach world markets.

Steel exports will require deep ports, itself a key area we jointly mapped with President Nyusi.

We have to develop more ports along the Mozambican coastline, right from south of Maputo, up to Nacala to the north.

Zimbabwe has a direct interest as these ports will meet our needs for both in-bound and out-bound goods which grow our economy.

An aggressive thrust to develop our road and rail networks terminating at these new or improved ports should make us land-linked, and not landlocked as has been the case historically.

Needless to say, all these programmes hinge on a stable Mozambique.

It is for this reason that security developments in the northern part of Mozambique remain of utmost interest and concern to us.

Mozambique, itself a cradle of our liberation, and our critical gateway to the world, deserves our full support against the threat of Islamic insurgency which, in any case, threatens our whole region, including our own country Zimbabwe.

Africa has stood by us throughout the more than two decades we have been under sanctions. Many African countries have assisted us to offset the harm which these sanctions were calculated to inflict on us.

Three countries whose support we will never forget include Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda.

Tanzania made our anti-sanctions stance a SADC issue and posture.

That progressive stance was then escalated to the African Union which has stood by us steadfastly.

Rwanda continues to assist us in various ways. Today our bilateral relations have broadened vistas. In partnership, we must move in step with Rwanda.

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