Spotlight

Vice President Alupo Meets President Mnangagwa Ahead of Zimbabwe APRM Launch

Janice Abulo

Harare, Zimbabwe

Harare, Zimbabwe – Uganda’s Vice President, Maj. (Rtd.) Jessica Alupo, reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation with Zimbabwe following a courtesy call on President H.E. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa at State House in Harare.

Hon. Alupo, who was representing H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at the launch of Zimbabwe’s Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Programme of Action Report, held discussions with President Mnangagwa on deepening relations between the two countries and advancing shared regional and continental priorities.

According to officials, President Mnangagwa welcomed the Ugandan delegation and described relations between Zimbabwe and Uganda as strong and cordial. He noted that recent high-level exchanges had reinforced cooperation between the two countries, citing his visit to Uganda for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G77+China Summits in January 2025, as well as the attendance of Zimbabwe’s Vice President, Constantino Chiwenga, at President Museveni’s inauguration in May this year.

The Zimbabwean leader called for faster preparations towards the Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation (JPCC), saying the mechanism remained critical for expanding trade, technical cooperation and political engagement. He also expressed appreciation to Uganda for supporting Zimbabwe’s successful bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2027–2028 term.

President Mnangagwa further congratulated President Museveni on assuming the Chairmanship of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism for the 2026–2028 period. He said the APRM continued to play an important role in promoting good governance, industrialisation, inclusive growth and sustainable development across the continent.

In response, Vice President Alupo conveyed warm greetings from President Museveni and reiterated Uganda’s solidarity with Zimbabwe. She said Uganda would continue working closely with Zimbabwe at regional, continental and international levels while supporting efforts aimed at advancing Africa’s transformation agenda through the APRM framework. Alupo’s visit comes ahead of the official launch of Zimbabwe’s APRM Programme of Action Report on July 16, a milestone that marks the country’s full integration into the continental peer review process.