Story by Fairstars Mukungurutse
HARARE – BILATERAL relations between Zimbabwe and Botswana, and cooperation in environment, and tourism took centre stage when Botswana’s Minister of Environment and Tourism, Honourable Winter Boipuso Mmolotsi met the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere in Harare this Wednesday.
The delegation led by Botswana Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Her Excellency Sarah Molosiwa, paid a courtesy call on Dr Muswere at his Munhumutapa offices, where both countries affirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation through joint projects in environment and tourism, based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two nations.
Dr Muswere reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to fostering regional integration and sustainable economic development through enhanced bilateral collaboration.
“Our meeting builds on the momentum from today’s SADC gathering and specifically addresses how Zimbabwe and Botswana, neighbouring states and KAZA partners, can implement the tourism MoU more effectively. Key priorities include joint marketing initiatives, cultural and community tourism, and the relaxation of immigration protocols to facilitate free tourist movement between our countries.”
He further highlighted plans for enhanced technical cooperation, including wildlife management exchange programmes and joint frameworks for biodiversity protection, as part of the broader regional tourism growth strategy.
Honourable Mmolotsi commended Zimbabwe for its active engagement and underscored the importance of building lasting institutional partnerships between the two nations.
“This was an opportunity to introduce myself to my counterpart as Botswana operates under a new administration. More importantly, it is a reaffirmation of our commitment to work closely with Zimbabwe on issues of mutual interest. Wildlife knows no borders, our nations share natural resources that must be jointly protected,”
“We commit ourselves to working with the government of Zimbabwe and collaborating on several issues. As the Environment and Tourism Ministry, we also came here to pledge our support to Zimbabwe and also to say to our counterparts here, that we are available all the time to collaborate on a number of issues.”
Zimbabwe and Botswana enjoy cordial bilateral relations which span multiple sectors.
