Fungi Kwaramba in ACCRA, Ghana

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is scheduled to make a historic State visit to Ghana today, an important milestone in Zimbabwe–Ghana relations and the wider Pan-African spirit, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira has said.

The President will meet his Ghanaian counterpart President John Dramani Mahama and together, they will preside over the first structured Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC).

Prof Murwira said the two leaders were expected to deepen cooperation in key areas including education, agriculture, science and technology, and tourism.

In an interview yesterday, Prof Murwira described the visit as “very historic indeed”, saying while Zimbabwe and Ghana had been cooperating in several areas, they previously lacked a structured framework for that engagement.

“This is very historic indeed because it’s the first time that a structured, Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation is taking place,” he said.

“Despite the fact that we were cooperating in several areas, we did not have a structured cooperation framework, so this is historic indeed.”

Tracing historical and political ties between the two countries, Prof Murwira said Ghana remained central to Pan-Africanism, noting that Zimbabwe is led by a respected African Statesman who subscribes to Pan-African ideals.

“Ghana is the home of Pan-Africanism under its founding President Kwame Nkrumah. So, His Excellency, as a senior Statesman on the African continent, is paying homage to the correct parts of the African soil.

“We are looking forward to this meeting,” he said.

The State Visit comes as the Second Republic, under President Mnangagwa, seeks a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for period 2027-2028.

In a statement, President Mahama’s spokesperson, Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, confirmed that President Mnangagwa would be in Ghana for three days, beginning today.

According to the statement, President Mnangagwa will arrive at the Accra International Airport, where he will be received by President Mahama with full military honours, including an inspection of a Guard of Honour by the Ghana Armed Forces and a 21-gun salute.

In the evening, President Mahama will host a State banquet in honour of President Mnangagwa, celebrating the long-standing friendship between Ghana and Zimbabwe.

During the visit, the two leaders are expected to hold detailed discussions with their delegations aimed at strengthening cooperation in areas such as trade, health, sanitation, the fight against corruption and tackling unemployment.

The talks will be followed by the signing and exchange of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) covering areas of mutual interest.

President Mnangagwa is also expected to visit the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre (SGMC), a leading private specialty hospital in West Africa that has provided comprehensive cancer care and oncology services since 2011.

The facility offers modern diagnostic and treatment services to both local and international patients.

He is also expected to tour the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant, where he will receive briefings on Ghana’s progress in waste management.

Zimbabwe’s health sector reforms are also highlighted by the ongoing transformation and upgrading of major facilities such as Parirenyatwa in Harare and Mpilo in Bulawayo to provide specialist care.

On waste management, the visit will include exposure to models of environmental development, following strides under Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, including the conversion of the former Pomona dumpsite in Harare — once a neglected and toxic hazard — into a modern waste-to-energy facility managed through Geo Pomona Waste Management (Private) Limited.

During the State Visit, President Mnangagwa will also visit the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, where he will lay a wreath at the tomb of Ghana’s founding father, who led the country to become the first sub-Saharan African colony to gain independence from Britain in 1957 and was instrumental in the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).