President Dr Irfaan Ali has said that partnerships with like “minded countries” and institutions are key to achieving the sustainable development goals of eradicating poverty, ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture.
The Head of State today spoke about bolstering relations with the Republic of Zimbabwe while accrediting the country’s High Commissioner to Guyana.
President Ali accepted the Letters of Commission from Ignatius Graham Mudzimba as Non-Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
During the ceremony, the President spoke about the importance of agriculture and food production.
“My government has placed a great emphasis on the transformation of our agriculture sector with a focus on diversification of food production, coupled with a focus on soil care. I believe that these are areas where Guyana and Zimbabwe can find synergies for shared technologies.”
President Ali also told the Zimbabwean Ambassador that there is great scope for the two countries to “construct a practical framework to enhance bilateral cooperation in those areas where we could benefit from mutual expertise to aid in the development of particular sectors of our economies”.
Along with agriculture, the President said there is also potential for cooperation between Guyana and Zimbabwe in the education and tourism sectors.
“I also would like to encourage visits from Zimbabwean companies to explore joint ventures and investments in Guyana. We also stand ready to enhance our collaboration with Zimbabwe at the multilateral level to advance the interests of our two countries and regions on issues high on the international agenda, particularly those relating to climate change.”
For his part, Mudzimba expressed hopes that Zimbabwe can benefit from Guyana’s expert knowledge in rum production.
“There is need to explore potential for our two countries for the development of our two people. Guyana has developed expertise in rum production, its my hope that Zimbabwe can benefit from your country’s technical expertise for the mutual benefit of our two nations,” Mudzimba expressed.
During the ceremony, President Ali was joined by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Elisabeth Harper for both accreditation ceremonies.
