Zimbabwe has urged the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to deepen cooperation, strengthen capacity-building and ensure equal access to maritime opportunities for developing nations, as the 34th Session of the IMO Assembly opened in London.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona leading Zimbabwe’s delegation said the country remains a fully committed contracting State of the IMO and is aligning its domestic laws and national transport plans with global maritime standards.
“Zimbabwe has mainstreamed shipping and maritime in its transport and infrastructure plans, situating our nation within the broader family of global maritime administration,” Minister Mhona told delegates.
Addressing the Assembly, he said Zimbabwe strongly supports the IMO’s 2025 theme “Our ocean, our obligation, our opportunity” adding that the country is expanding its legislative framework to match the organisation’s conventions.
Mhona highlighted that Zimbabwe regulates several strategic inland water bodies used for tourism, inland water transport, fishing and energy development under the Inland Waters Shipping Act.
He revealed that government is finalising a new Merchant Shipping law to enhance compliance with IMO standards and improve oversight of waterborne activities.
“We are in the process of enacting a comprehensive Merchant Shipping law to expand our alignment with IMO conventions and standards,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s trade performance, he added, remains closely tied to the efficiency of ports in Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Namibia.
Support from neighbouring IMO member states, he said, has been immense especially in facilitating the movement of goods through regional corridors.
At the regional level, Mhona said Zimbabwe is advancing a long-term strategy to transform itself from land-locked to land-linked strengthening transport ties and maritime-related systems across southern Africa.
He noted Zimbabwe’s participation in the newly formed Maritime Organisation for the Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa (MOESNA), aimed at creating a regional hub for maritime and logistics excellence.
“As MOESNA takes shape, we look forward to continued technical and financial support from the IMO to build strong and harmonised maritime systems,” he told the Assembly.
Mhona said enhanced maritime cooperation aligns with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s national vision to achieve upper-middle-income status by 2030.
“Zimbabwe is open for business and ready to engage and re-engage, including through opportunities and collaborations within the IMO framework,” he said.
He urged delegates to use the Assembly to champion technology transfer, develop innovative financing for maritime projects, promote uniform safety and environmental standards and strengthen welfare for seafarers.
Calling for unity of purpose, Mhona said developing countries require sustained support to fully implement IMO instruments and close global maritime disparities.
“Together, we can create a safer, greener, more efficient and more inclusive maritime future,” he said.
