Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Prof. Amon Murwira has challenged local exporters to harness the country’s natural and cultural heritage as a foundation for producing distinctive, high-value goods that can compete globally. Speaking as Guest of Honor at the ZimTrade Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony held alongside the annual Exporters Conference, Prof.
Murwira said Zimbabwe’s foreign policy must place trade as it core, describing commerce as both a tool for peace and a pathway to economic prosperity. “A friendship is not complete until you share a meal. Trade is that shared meal between nations.
You cannot separate foreign relations from trade,” he said. Addressing captains of industry, diplomats and entrepreneurs under the theme Rooted Locally, Growing Globally, the Minister emphasized that Zimbabwe approaches international relations from a position of confidence rather than dependency. “We are not super beggars in tiles and jackets.
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We negotiate agreements that benefit both our partners and ourselves,” he said, underscoring the country’s commitment to mutually beneficial partnerships. Murwira urged exporters to anchor their production strategies in Zimbabwe’s unique endowments- its minerals, land, water, and human capital- arguing that competitive advantage lies in embracing what naturally thrives within the country’s borders. “Heritage is everything that we have, our minerals, our water, our land, our intelligence.
That uniqueness is what we use for trade,” he said. He cautioned against copying foreign production models that do not align with local realities. “You cannot grow maple trees in Zimbabwe and expect to compete with Canada.
Why struggle with what refuses to grow? When you fight heritage, you lose,” he said.
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