The UK Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Peter Fowles, said the historical frosty relations between London and Harare had ended, with the two countries now working to restore and strengthen bilateral relations.
The UK envoy, who was impressed by the engagement focused on the Second Republic’s economic diplomacy and re-engagement campaign, expressed his country’s commitment to improving bilateral relations between the two countries.
Despite the continued imposition of illegal Western sanctions on the land reform program at the turn of the millennium, President Mnangagwa has, since coming to power in 2017, declared that “Zimbabwe is open for business,” and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to reform and expansion. Friendly relations with the international community.
This has led to the UK becoming one of the largest foreign exhibitors at this year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), alongside the US and the EU also showcasing various goods and services.
“We are serious in our desire to deepen our relationship with Zimbabwe, and it is no secret that we have had a difficult relationship throughout history, but the past is the past and we look forward to establishing a strong and mature relationship with Zimbabwe.” Ambassador Fowles said in an interview yesterday at the UK Pavilion.
“Yes, there are things we thought we wouldn’t agree on and that’s okay, and the maturity of our relationship should allow us to talk about what we agree on and talk about what we don’t agree on and ultimately today we work together to solve our problems.”
Asked to clarify whether Zimbabwe was still subject to UK sanctions, he said: “It’s a really interesting question…” . . Sanctions have been imposed against five Zimbabweans and one entity, meaning that these five people and one entity cannot live in or access the UK, but everyone else, around 16 million people, can travel to the UK and trade.
“I think it is better that we focus on the future and strive to build relationships that benefit both countries.”
Ambassador Fowles said the UK had returned to ZITF after a successful exhibition last year, and looked forward to capitalizing on further business opportunities after increasing and doubling the size of its stand.
“This is an important opportunity to demonstrate the kind of business opportunities and partnerships between the UK and Zimbabwe.
“We also see trade as a way to connect our people and countries for mutual benefit and that is why we must demonstrate existing links for the future. We want to build a strong UK-Zimbabwe trading partnership.
“We hope to make new connections with companies and create new relationships, new ideas and new innovations so that we can grow economically.”
Ambassador Fowles said strengthening bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and the UK was crucial in opening up win-win business opportunities for businesses from both countries.
He said his country is already supporting Zimbabwe by funding the construction of health facilities among other community projects aimed at improving people’s livelihoods.
“We have companies, especially in the renewable energy sector where we are bringing in solar energy, which will attract many investors to come to Zimbabwe, and we are bringing in experts from the UK to educate and train local people,” Ambassador Fowles said.
“I was listening to the mining company, which generates hydropower using British generators, and they were admitting it was cleaner and cheaper.
“But equally, it is also about helping Zimbabwean businesses see opportunities in the UK, and that could be through exporting produce to the UK from growers, such as blueberries or citrus, and getting them to the UK market.”
To facilitate improved trade, Ambassador Fowles said the UK had removed trade barriers. He said there were no customs duties or quarterly restrictions and called on British companies to set up shop in Zimbabwe. He also called on Zimbabwean companies to seize business opportunities in the United Kingdom.
“What will make local people benefit from the UK in the same way that UK people benefit from Zimbabwe is by exporting products and gaining recognition no matter how small the company is,” Ambassador Fowles said.
He said that since he took over as UK Ambassador to Zimbabwe about eight months ago, the two countries had recorded huge trade gains.
Ambassador Fowles said: “Our trade is growing significantly because the flow of our exports and imports has increased to 76 percent over the past 12 months. This is a significant increase and I want us and the embassy to support similar growth next year.”
“But it is true that this is a small fraction of what it was, probably about half in real terms compared to what it was in the 1990s, we have lost a lot of ground I think in the 2000s, and what we want to do is work on Maximizing our presence here and rebuilding our relationships to get where we were and beyond.”
“There’s a lot to be done and I think there’s a lot of commercial potential. We’ve done that historically, and that’s a great indicator of the potential for the future.”
“We have a lot in common in Zimbabwe, we have a lot of Zimbabweans in the UK making contributions, and when the diaspora returns home they should see the opportunities here.”
Ambassador Fowles also commended Zimbabwe’s participation as one of the leading countries in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA), which he said was crucial to driving intra-regional trade and reaping profits from a broader continental market. Chronicle
