Belarus supplies food, technology, trains and develops personnel for African continent

Mutual respect, partnership, openness and dialogue on an equal footing. The Belarusian-African relations are gaining momentum despite the distance, differences in cultures and traditions. Belarus supplies the continent not only with food, but also with technology, and also trains and develops personnel.

A meeting of Zimbabwean students with representatives of the Belarusian Women's Union, the Ministries of Education and Health and the diplomatic corps took place in Minsk today.

Belarus and Zimbabwe demonstrate to the world: together you can reach new heights. Relations are developing dynamically. Joint projects are at the core.

Zimbabwe, January, 2023

The tone for bilateral cooperation is set by the leaders of the two states. Hence, the high intensity of meetings, as well as exchanges of high-level visits. Today, Belarus and Zimbabwe cooperate in many areas – from politics and security to economic and social spheres.

Tanyanyiwa Kanisio, Chargé d'Affaires of the Republic of Zimbabwe in Belarus:

"Our presidents are friends, and it is important to understand that it is the head of state, who sets the vector in international relations. We have three key areas. The first is, of course, agriculture. Alexander Lukashenko helped us a lot in this area. We have mechanized our agricultural enterprises, switched from traditional methods to more modern ones. This has allowed us to increase the quality of the harvest and its quantity. The second is education. When I came here in July, there were only 20 of our students. Now there are more. They value Belarusian education very much. And the third is culture. I am not just a representative of Zimbabwe. I represent the entire African culture. We want to cooperate in the economic sphere and other areas. We want to be friends. We want to learn about and show our culture, music, dance, art. We also want to learn about Belarus".

Belarus is ready to help Zimbabwe with personnel training

Young people make up 60% of Africa's population today. And they are ready and willing to study, whether at home or abroad. And here, Belarusian universities are ready to lend a shoulder to their African partners. We have something to offer future specialists: the range of educational areas in our country is wide.

Yuri Bondar, Rector of the Republican Institute of Higher Education:

"This is a new promising vector of our educational cooperation. And literally this year, 36 guys came to us. These are the first guys from Zimbabwe who came to us within the framework of the agreements concluded by our universities. In the next academic year, there are already more than 40 such agreements, 36 guys came. They mainly study at our big universities, at our Belarusian National Technical University, BSU, Medical University. Some of them entered bachelor's programs, educational programs, the first stages of higher education. Some are preparing for courses, studying Russian to pass the qualification".

Nadezhda Lazarevich, Deputy Chairperson of the Belarusian Women's Union:

"As a result of our trip, when we had the honor of visiting Zibaba, we discussed with the First Lady that they are ready to send their children for training. And, of course, they want the children to feel comfortable here. Firstly, the first, let's say, only the first children are coming, they are afraid, they are not sure, they do not know how it is in our country. It is clear that parents have some concerns, including. Therefore, we promised that we would take care of them, take custody of these children. And today they were brought to our first national shopping center. Here you can see everything that is happening in our country, everything that is produced".

Chioma Chigere, operating nurse at the N. N. Alexandrov Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Oncology and Medical Radiology:

"I decided to enroll in the Belarusian Medical College. I studied there for about two years. Well, that's it. I received my diploma. And I got in, and first I worked at the Medical and Oncology Center, and I like it there because my colleagues, this team, they are so good. Belarusian education is very good. I will work in Belarus because I have already gotten used to it. I am happy both with the team and with the work".

So there are no changes yet. Belarus intends to further expand its partnership with African countries. The leaders of the two countries harmonized their positions within the framework of the recent World Climate Change Summit in Baku. There is still a lot to be done to develop Belarusian-Zimbabwean relations. It is important that today the parties have both the desire and the ability to implement the agreements.