Story by Josephine Mugiyo, Diplomatic Correspondent
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has underscored the need for Zimbabwe to keep pace with global technological advancements.
President Mnangagwa, who is on a tour of duty in China, was at the Build Your Dream Auto Company (BYD) headquarters in Shenzhen and the Huawei Centre this Friday.
The first port of call was the BYD Auto headquarters in Shenzhen which manufactures electric vehicles.
President Mnangagwa was taken through the company’s latest range of electric vehicles, which have been identified as a viable alternative to those that use fossil fuel.
The company has a branch in Harare and boasts of 30 000 patents as it continues to explore new inventions.
With the vehicles using lithium batteries, it is key for a country like Zimbabwe, which has abundant lithium, to tap into such markets.
From BYD, President Mnangagwa’s next stop was at the Huawei factory, where he was shown cutting edge technologies that continue to evolve and can be used in various sectors including health and education to improve service delivery.
Zimbabwe is already tapping into the knowledge base with Chakwizira Denga, a student from the TelOne Learning Centre in Harare, highlighting the opportunities that Huawei is providing for students in Zimbabwe.
“Currently studying at TelOne, myself and many students have been given an opportunity to study at Huawei. We were invited to a digital tour in China and this provided us with a glimpse on how we can improve on technology.
“Huawei is providing us with free exposure is an invaluable resource. For the past five years, under your leadership you coined the phrase ‘Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo’, in that spirit when we look at Huawei, they are allowing us to create our own ICT. China has always been a friend to Zimbabwe, my goal is to motivate as many students,” said Denga.
A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between Zimbabwe and Huawei to enhance cooperation.
President Mnangagwa emphasised the importance of embracing the numerous technologies exhibited in China as Zimbabwe works to incorporate information communication technologies in various sectors to improve service delivery.
“Each time we pay a visit to the People’s Republic of China and in particular, on both visits I have been given the opportunity to visit Huawei and each time it seems they have moved on.
“It seems that their technology evolves year after year and I hope that our people in Zimbabwe will embrace technology which we have been exposed to here in China, because these are our closest friends in terms of cooperation in the fields and space of technology,” said the President.
As he highlighted the strong relations between Beijing and Harare, President Mnangagwa noted the need for the younger generation to maintain these ties.
“There is historical friendship between the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Republic of China. The first group of guerrillas to liberate Zimbabwe from the British in 1964 were trained here in China.
“I am happy that today we relate and toy the younger generation must consolidate rye relations we have here.”
President Mnangagwa is set to tour various Chinese provinces before heading to Beijing for a State Visit.
