By Tinotenda Afarasi
Zimbabwe may be under sanctions imposed by the West, but it has not stopped investing in quality education and the production of quality vaccines to deal with animal diseases.
The Second Republic has, in fact, introduced Education 5.0 which demands that State universities must launch into outcomes-focused national development activities towards a competitive, modern and industrialised Zimbabwe.
The idea is to have universities that solve problems for value-creation.
Now, a number of State universities have commissioned Innovation Hubs where they produce a number of produces such as sanitisers and personal protective equipment.
The Midlands State University is now into horticulture and production of beverages, making an extra dollar in the process.
Botswana President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, who was guest of honour during 112th edition of Zimbabwe Agricultural Show recently, praised local graduates for their role not only in Zimbabwe, but also in his country.
President Masisi, whose country is heavily involved in cattle ranching and has many goats too, said the two countries can leverage on each other’s strengths for the production of high quality vaccines for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), goat plague and the lung disease.
Botswana produces top quality FMD vaccines while Zimbabwe’s strength is in the production of thermostable Newcastle vaccine and other quality veterinary medicinal products.
“It is also commendable that Zimbabwe also produces high quality veterinary surgeons and specialists, some of whom we have the rare privilege of having in our national institutions, such as the Ministry of Agriculture’s Veterinary Department and the Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority (BoMRA).
“We continue to have a strong vote of confidence in the services that we receive from the experts who have been trained in your country,” said President Masisi.
Zimbabwe and Botswana enjoy cordial diplomatic relations since 1980.
The two countries cooperate at the bilateral, regional, continental and international level.
In the agricultural space, Harare and Gaborone have over the years, tended to concentrate efforts on addressing crop and animal diseases and pests.
This was necessitated not only by the long, common border between the two countries, but also by the increasing threat of trans-boundary animal and crop diseases and pests, particularly FMD, quelea birds and locust infestation, prompting the need to undertake joint interventions to address the challenges.
Said President Masisi: “Our two countries have also had to collaborate in addressing emerging threats like the goat plaque, which if not controlled had the potential to cripple our agricultural industries, hamper national development agenda, condemn our peoples to cyclical poverty by reversing developmental gains that we continue to safe guard today. Another reason it is important for me and my entourage to be here today is the fact that the agricultural sectors of our countries are intertwined, with communities along our common border sharing not only familial ties, but ways and means of livelihoods, such as livestock rearing, amongst others.
“The contribution of the agricultural sectors of our two countries to the gross domestic product (GDP), differ significantly. For instance, in Botswana, the agricultural sector accounts for only 1,6 percent of the GDP, while in Zimbabwe, the sector’s contribution has ranged between 15 and 19 percent.
“As such, I found it imperative that I avail myself to be part of this event, so as to facilitate exchange of views and experience in the agricultural space, for the mutual benefit of our countries and peoples.
“I have no doubt that we can leverage on each other’s strengths in areas that we enjoy a comparative and competitive advantage in the agriculture space, with a view to further deepening collaborative efforts in this area.”
President Masisi called on both Zimbabwe and Botswana to ensure that operations and interactions at all levels of the production chain were digitised.
He said when the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) gathered steam, some of people in both countries used to say they were still at the second industrial revolution.
“To this sentiment, I want to say whether we are in the second or still in the first industrial revolution, the fact remains that leaping to the 4th Industrial Revolution is not an option, but an absolute imperative.
“For agriculture, especially in our countries where we face immense challenges of infrastructure development, effects of climate change, the use of ICT can go a long way in facilitating extension officers to service even those afar in remote areas at less cost and high level of efficiency and effectiveness.
“The importance of digitising agriculture and improving general productivity capacity cannot be over-emphasized. The advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, have exposed weaknesses and gaps in our production and supply chains, particularly on the African continent,” he said.
The introduction of social distancing and travel bans at the peak of the pandemic, said President Masisi, only exacerbated the situation, severely hindering the production and delivery of agricultural goods and services, and overall disruption of food security and nutrition.
In line with the “Food Systems Approach”, pioneered by the United Nations in 2021, Harare and Gaborone need to be mindful of their actions, particularly their effects on the environment, which have a direct correlation to food production.
He said as both countries forge ahead in adopting mitigation measures and strategies, they have to be “forever mindful to adopt climate resilient technologies for both crops and livestock in this digital era”.
“As we develop our agri-value chains, in efforts to improve competiveness of the agricultural sectors of our countries vis-a-viz competitors, we need to appreciate the trade-offs resulting from these actions,” he said.
President Masisi said the agricultural sector was crucial as it relates to the livelihoods of people and overall food security, as well as appreciate the cordial engagements that characterise interactions between people from both nations at all levels.