DAKSHIN

Zimbabwe

India and Zimbabwe have a long history of close and cordial relations. During the era of the Munhumutapa Kingdom, Indian merchants established strong links with Zimbabwe, trading in textiles, minerals and metals. Sons of the royal house of Munhumutapa had travelled to India to broaden their education. In the 17th century, a great son of Zimbabwe, Dom Miguel - Prince, Priest and Professor, and heir to the imperial throne of the Mutapas lived in Goa. An inscribed pillar stands today at a chapel in Goa, a tribute to his intellectual stature.

Ambassador R. Masakui and Dr. M.C Bimha, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development signed a $2.923million grant project MOU for Up-gradation of Indo-Zim Technology Centre

Singing of Memorandum of Understanding between Ministry of External Affairs and HMT for implementation of the Upgradation if Indo-Zim Technology project at the cost of $2.92 million

Ambassador handed over the consignment of 950 Sewing Machines, to the Patron of the Foundation, Hon'ble First Lady Dr Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa

A consignment of 40,000 doses of Made in India Covaxin vaccines gifted to Zimbabwe on December 16,2021

Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme was celebrated in Embassy of India, Harare. Hon'ble Mr. S. Sibanda, Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour

Ambassador interacted with officials proceeding to India to undertake various higher and specialized courses under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. Government of India provides over 200 slots to Zimbabwe under this capacity building programme

Cooperation to tackle the challenge of COVID-19 Pandemic

India gifted emergency medicines worth US$ 2.2 million in 2019-2020.
Further a consignment of 75,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine, COVAXIN, and a consignment of 10 state of the art ambulances were gifted in 2021.
India also gifted anti-TB medicines worth about US$ 100,000 in June 2022.
Zimbabwe was the first country in Africa to authorized use of COVAXIN.

Capacity Building & Other Exchanges

Assistance to Zimbabwe under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme has been a regular feature of India’s assistance to Zimbabwe for capacity building. ITEC is a successful and much sought-after programme in Zimbabwe. Starting with 3 Zimbabweans in 1985, 1924 professionals have been trained under ITEC since 2002, and 1029 professionals have been trained in just 9 years since 2014-15.
Zimbabwe has utilized 8 e-ITEC slots during the period 2020-21 to 2022-23.
Through various memoranda of understanding entered with institutions of great repute in India, The Harare Institute of Technology [HIT] is sending its students to various Universities to get degrees in Master of Technology in various disciplines such as Delhi Technological University; Amity University, Manessar; Sharda University; Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University; Vellore Institute of Technology; Rabindranath Tagore University; IIT Madras; Indian Institute of Welding; National Institute of Foundry and Forging Technology; Marwadi University; IIT Kharagpur; Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology; Institute of Technology and Management and Sri Ramaswamy Memorial Institute of Science and Technology.
Indian Embassy has initiated a platform for Indian corporates in Zimbabwe to sponsor meritorious students to India from their CSR fund in premier institutions like IITs and IIMs.
ICCR Scholarships: 97 seats were allocated during the period 2017-18 to 2022-23 out of which 58 seats have been utilized. For the current academic year 2023-24, 10 seats have been allocated.
Executive Dean for the School of Information Science and Technology at Harare Institute of Technology, Govt. of Zimbabwe, Mr. Tendai Padenga was conferred ICCR Distinguished Alumni Award - 2019 in Pune, Maharashtra (28 January 2020).

Development Cooperation (Grants/ LoCs/ Assistance)

Total LoC amount: US$ 468.10 million for 3 projects (Under various stages of implementation).
India gave an assistance of 50,000 tonnes of rice in 2003 when Zimbabwe experienced severe drought. Another similar assistance of 500 tonnes of rice was given on March 2015.
India granted US$ 5 million for promoting SMEs (Indo-Zim Technology Centres) in Zimbabwe, a project inaugurated in August 2008. The final phase of the project was completed in February 2013. India set up three ‘Hole-In-The-Wall’ computer learning stations in 2012.
India extended a grant of US$ 1 million and announced an aid of 500 tons of rice to the Govt. of Zimbabwe on in August 2016, in response to the international appeal made by Zimbabwe in the wake of national drought disaster. India again extended a grant of US $ 1 million to Zimbabwe on 1st June, 2017 in response to the 2016-17 flood disaster international appeal made by the Government of Zimbabwe. The donation of 500 metric ton rice to the Govt. of Zimbabwe arrived in Harare and handed over to the concerned authorities in November 2017.
India established Vocational Training Centre under IFAS-1 at a cost of US$ 1 million under Grant of GOI. The Centre was inaugurated in February 2019.
Under the EXIM Bank of India’s Buyer’s Credit Agreement worth US$ 49.92 million, M/s. Ashok Leyland Ltd. supplied around 635 vehicles and spare parts to the Ministry of Tourism & Hospitality Industry in October, 2015. Under the similar facility from EXIM Bank of India, BEML Ltd, India supplied worth US$ 13.03 million mining equipments and blast hole drill and spare parts to Hwange Colliery Company Ltd., Zimbabwe. The mining equipments were commissioned in June 2015.
LoC Agreement for US$ 87 million was signed between Government of Zimbabwe and EXIM Bank of India in 2015 on the sidelines of IFAS-III for renovation/upgradation of Thermal Power Station in Bulawayo. An additional LoC of US$ 23 million was signed in April 2019, taking the total LoC to US$ 110 million. Tendering process has already been done. M/s. BHEL, the sole bidder, has quoted $ 120 million. An agreement has been signed in March 2022 between ZPC and BHEL.
Offer of US$ 310 million for the upgradation of Hwange Power Plant was announced during the visit of Vice-President to Zimbabwe in November 2018. LoC Agreement was signed in March 2020. ZESA has appointed M/s. WAPCOS as Project Management Consultants on nomination basis. The DPR has been prepared by M/s. WAPCOS and is under consideration of EXIM Bank and MEA.
Grant for construction of Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre, US$ 2.93 million grant for upgradation of Indo-Zim Technology Centre and gifting of 10 Indian made ambulances, gifting of lifesaving drugs and deputation of experts in five specialized areas.
India gifted emergency medicines worth US$ 2.2 million in 2019-2020 in addition to 1000 MT of rice.
HMT machines [mostly computer numerical controlled (CNC)] under Phase-2 of the US$ 29.1 million Indo-Zim Technology Centre, project was handed over in 2019. MoS V. Muraleedharan, along with Minister of Higher & Tertiary Education Prof. Amon Murwira, commissioned the new CNC machines at the Indo-Zim Technology Centre at the HIT Campus in Harare.
MOS also handed over a sewing machine to the First Lady from the consignment of 950 sewing machines being donated to the Angel of Hope Foundation, being run under the patronage of the First Lady.
India set-up three ‘Hole-in-the-Wall’ computer learning stations in 2012.
India established an Indo-Zimbabwe Technology Centre in Zimbabwe through a grant of US$ 5 million in 2008, and the project was completed in 2013.
Under Phase-2 of the US$ 29.1 million Indo-Zim Technology Centre, the CNC machines were handed over to Zimbabwe in September 2019.
India has extended a grant of US$ 1 million from the India-UN Development Partnership Fund for climate resilient agriculture. The work on the project has been completed through World Food Organization
India has also provided US$ 1 million to Zimbabwe in 2021 for climate resilient agriculture in the districts of Chiredzi and Mangwe through the India UN Development Partnership Fund.