President Mnangagwa in Kenya

Harare (New Ziana) – President Emmerson Mnangagwa arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday on a State Visit, during which he will also attend the Zimbabwe-Kenya Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC), as the two countries re-invigorate bilateral relations.

He was met at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister Raychelle Omamo and Zimbabwe ambassador to Kenya Winpeg Moyo.

President Mnangagwa is expected to hold talks with his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta before presiding over the signing of several cooperation agreements.

Zimbabwe has adopted an engagement and re-engagement agenda under the Second Republic under which it is setting and re-setting relations with the global community.

“Zimbabwe is not an island, for our nation to thrive, we must work with all African countries to build a more open economy,” Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Fredrick Shava who went ahead of President Mnangagwa tweeted.

Finding ways of uplifting trade between the two countries is a major concern for both countries, with current statistics indicating very low trade levels, skewed in favour of Zimbabwe.

According to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade, Kenyan exports to Zimbabwe in 2020 amounted to US$10.68 Million while Zimbabwe exported US$49.64 million worth of goods to the East African country over the same period.

Kenyan imports from Zimbabwe included tobacco and cereals while it exported to Zimbabwe pharmaceuticals, footwear, and vegetable fats and oils.

President Mnangagwa’s visit also comes at a time when the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has suspended both Zimbabwe’s and Kenya’s membership over alleged government interference in the countries’ football associations.
New Ziana