Lincoln Towindo
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has left for Maputo, Mozambique, where he is set to hold discussions with his counterpart President Filipe Nyusi on a range of bilateral issues.
He was seen off at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga, Cabinet Ministers, Service Chiefs and senior Government officials.
The President is expected to tie up a power supply deal with his Mozambican counterpart as a short-term measure to address electricity shortfalls in the country.
Power generation has deteriorated over the last few weeks due to depressed supply from Hwange and Harare thermal power stations, including the loss of a generation unit at Kariba Power Station.
Writing in his weekly column for The Sunday Mail over the weekend, President Mnangagwa said there was increased demand for power on account of heightened economic activity, with the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) sitting on applications for supply of over 2 000MW by 2025, primarily from the mining sector.
He said he will visit Mozambique and Zambia to finalise power supply agreements with the two countries’ leaders to guarantee uninterrupted supply.
“This week I am paying a working visit to the sister Republic of Mozambique,” he said.
“In the coming weeks I am likely to meet President Hichilema of Zambia in Livingstone.
“Both sister countries supply us with power. I will engage my colleagues with a view to ensuring our power imports are secure and uninterrupted.”
In April, Harare and Maputo upgraded relations to the Bi-National Commission level chaired by the Heads of State, up from the Joint Permanent Commission, which is chaired by Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
Consequently, cooperation between the two Republics has gravitated towards enhancing collaboration in trade, transport, energy, agriculture and technology sectors.