Zimbabwe, Namibia work to deepen ties

Officials from the governments of Zimbabwe and Namibia are holding a three-day meeting in Harare to explore ways of deepening bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

The officials are meeting under the auspices of the 8th session of the Zimbabwe-Namibia Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation (JPCC) from April 24-26 and the meeting comes ahead of a three-day state visit by Namibian President Hage Geingob to Zimbabwe this Wednesday.

Geingob is set to open Zimbabwe's 2017 annual premier trade showcase, the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo on Friday.

During the Zimbabwe visit, Geingob is also expected to visit the Kariba South Power Extension project which will add an additional 300 megawatts to the national grid.

China's Sinohydro is carrying out the three-year expansion project which is due for completion in December 2017.

Permanent secretary in Zimbabwe's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Joey Bimha was quoted by the state-run news agency New Ziana on Monday hailing relations between the two nations but lamented slow progress in meeting some of the targets set at the last JPCC meeting in 2014.

The two countries had set out to achieve wide-ranging targets in more than 20 areas including trade, agriculture, mining, energy, rural development, education, tourism, aviation, health and defense.

"We have had significant performance in some areas, moderate in others and no performance at all in others," Bimha was quoted as saying.

He said trade, energy, broadcasting and human capital development are the areas in which significant progress had been noted.

The deputy permanent secretary in Namibia's Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation Lineekela Mboti urged the two countries to make progress in achieving set targets.

"Namibia and Zimbabwe have signed several cooperation agreements. These instruments are catalysts for improved economic cooperation and political relations between the two countries," he said. Endit