Zim – Rwanda joint permanent commission on cooperation bearing fruits

Harare (New Ziana) -The Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation between Zimbabwe and Rwanda is starting to bear fruits while a lot more can still be done in several other areas for the two countries to benefit from each other’s expertise, a senior official has said.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade permanent secretary James Manzou said this on Monday during the second session of the Zimbabwe-Rwanda Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC) in the capital.

The initial Joint Permanent Commission on cooperation took place virtually in 2021 where Memoranda of Understanding were signed in trade and investment, finance, security, energy and mining, agriculture as well as media and broadcasting, amongst others fields of interest.

Manzou, who is head of the county’s delegation, said despite the JPCC being implemented for only two years, a lot has been achieved in such a short space of time.

“Most areas of our cooperation have been up to the task. I am glad to note that the positive growth in our political and economic consultations on bilateral, continental and international issues have witnessed significant growth.

“I welcome the positive steps that are being made by the two countries in forging cooperation in the areas of justice and public security. The extradition treaty and the MOU on immigration were among the important instruments of bilateral cooperation that were signed in 2022,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the two sides would make progress in operationalizing and implementing all the instruments of bilateral cooperation.

Trade and investment were moving on an upward trajectory, he said, praising the two trade development agencies, Zim Trade and the Rwanda Development Board, for their continued efforts to give business sectors an opportunity to meet through the trade and investment conferences which have been convened on an annual basis since 2021.

“There is more room for improvement since the potential is much better than what has been achieved so far,” he said.

“For example, we need to put in place a mechanism for coordinated cooperation to avoid revenue leakages and reduce the tax burden on individuals and businesses operating in both countries through an MOU on customs cooperation,” he said.

He said the main highlight of the second session would be the signing of the MOU on cooperation in the field of higher and tertiary education, science and technology development.

Rwandan ambassador to Zimbabwe James Musoni said the second session was a millstone in the bilateral relations that the two countries have and also a fulfilment of decisions made at the first meeting.

“It remains our task here to turn to realities the visions of our leaders who guided us to operate in this framework,” he said.

He said considerable progress had been made towards meeting goals as evidenced by the fact that of more than 20 instruments signed between the countries, most were being implemented at satisfactory level.

New Ziana