By Sharon Chimenya
MASVINGO — Zimbabwe is proactively elevating its global profile, strategically enhancing its outreach to attract trade and tourism investment.
Addressing the Tourism Investment Forum at the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo, held at the Gymkhana Conference Centre, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Professor Amon Murwira, announced the launch of new diplomatic missions aimed at strengthening the country’s presence on the world stage.
“We are extending Zimbabwe’s presence across the globe by expanding our network of embassies and consulates, ensuring that our outreach is active and direct, and positioning us for strategic opportunities in trade, tourism, and investment. Under the Zimbabwe Global Strategy, we are opening new missions to deepen our global footprint,” he said.
Professor Murwira said Zimbabwe is strengthening its representation across Africa and extending its presence to other regions where it has been underrepresented.
“We shall be present in the Caribbean, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Pacific and Oceania in 2027. We are deepening our representation across Africa to harness the African Continental Free Trade Area while extending our outreach into regions where Zimbabwe was previously underrepresented,” he said.
“Zimbabwe was underrepresented in the Pacific, but we are going to be present in the Solomon Islands and Fiji. In the Balkans, we will be present in Romania, Serbia, Austria, and Ireland.”
Professor Murwira said the expansion will establish direct institutional channels to negotiate bilateral agreements and mobilise capital directly into the country’s provinces.
The minister said the establishment of such embassies across the globe is not an expense, but a strategic investment opportunity.
“In the past, we used to say they were expensive because we were focused on ceremonies, not economics. If we focus on economics, we would establish more embassies so that more people come to Zimbabwe. It is not an expense; it is a strategic investment. That is why our Honourable Minister (Barbara Rwodzi) is reporting more than six million investors. A country that is not visited is very worrying,” he said.
“The expansion of the diplomatic footprint is not an end in itself, but a foundation for deeper cooperation. With our mission to locate strategic markets, we are now advancing to the next level by forging structured relationships. Zimbabwe is seeking structured relationships; we want agreements in business security, economics and trade, the socio-cultural area including tourism, and all areas of human endeavour in a structured way. We will turn these structures into a predictable pipeline for tourism, trade, and investment through targeted memoranda of understanding with regional and global partners. We are constructing a secure, predictable pipeline for travel, cultural exchange, and business cooperation,” he said.
Professor Murwira said the structured agreements are the practical instruments that convert diplomatic presence into tangible outcomes, opening secure pathways for tourism, trade, and cultural exchange.
Professor Murwira said the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Professor Mthuli Ncube, is doing a great job in ensuring that the embassies are well maintained across the world.
He said that presence is the country’s economic strategy.
