By Walter Wilson Nana
President Robert Gabriel Mugabe of Zimbabwe has urged 2010 Junior Chamber International, JCI, President; Roland Kwemain to work with his country’s Ministry of Youth.
At an official reception at Zimbabwe House in Harare, recently, Mugabe was interested to know from Kwemain what JCI is all about, while calling on the JCI executive to talk to the Zimbabwean youth on the necessity to be disciplined.
As the two leaders talked on the possibilities of setting up a JCI Zimbabwe Secretariat and how the government can shape its programmes to accommodate JCI objectives, Mugabe also requested Kwemain to talk to the rest of the world positively about his country.
The spirit of the aforementioned discussions followed with the two government ministers and MPs Kwemain subsequently met. Zimbabwe’s Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, Hon. Saviour Kasukuwere, promised close corporation with JCI and commended JCI Zimbabwe members for being of solid characters.
While enjoining JCI Zimbabwe to take advantage of the new empowerment law recently gazetted in the country, Kasukuwere extended an invitation to Kwemain to attend a summit of the African Ministers of Youth in October 2010 hosted by Zimbabwe.
Hon. Walter Muzembi, Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry did not only appoint the JCI World President as a Zimbabwe Tourist Ambassador under the Celebrity Ambassador Program, he is considering a diplomatic passport for the JCI Zimbabwe National President.
Muzembi took a commitment to designate JCI Zimbabwe members to be Tourists Ambassadors and to sign a cooperation agreement between his ministry and JCI Zimbabwe.
To some stakeholders in the business sector in Zimbabwe, Kwemain told them he has come with a message of active citizenship and to implore them to let their staff register as members of JCI Zimbabwe.
UNDP Resident Representative in Zimbabwe, Elisabeth Lwanga, pledged to sponsor JCI Zimbabwe representatives to the June 2010 JCI-UN Leadership Summit in New York, USA and to work with JCI through its various agencies in Zimbabwe.
As part of his on-going world tour, the JCI World President has been to Gabon, Botswana, Madagascar, Mauritius Island, South Africa and South Korea.