By Zimtracker Reporter

Rebecca Archer-Knepper, the United States Embassy in Zimbabwe Public Diplomacy Officer, says placing a few individuals on sanctions does not amount to putting the whole country under restrictive measures.

Last month the US relaxed its sanctions regime on Zimbabwe after US President Biden signed an Executive Order (E.O.) terminating the national emergency and revoking the Executive Orders that underpinned the sanctions.

The US Treasury subsequently designated some key actors it said were running corrupt and abusive networks restricting the political rights and economic resources of the people of Zimbabwe under the Global Magnitsky Program.

These individuals included President Emmerson Mnangagwa, his wife, Auxilia Mnangagwa, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Zimbabwe’s Defense Minister Oppah Muchinguri (Muchinguri) and Godwin Matanga, the Commissioner-General of the Police.

Zimbabwe officials however maintained the sanctions still affected the whole country.

“I want to take a moment here to mention sanctions because – for a long time – the Government of Zimbabwe blamed sanctions for all the country’s economic woes.

“We have refocused our sanctions specifically on 11 individuals and three companies responsible for serious corruption and gross human rights abuses through the Global Magnitsky program. However, Sanctions are just part of our approach.

“There are 40 countries with individuals on sanctions. These include China, Mexico, South Africa, among others. The countries are not under sanctions. It doesn’t mean those countries are under sanctions,” she said, speaking at a Media Monitors of Zimbabwe’s Data Journalism training certification event in Harare on Thursday.

Archer-Knepper said the transition was a chance for Zimbabwe to undertake reform and focus on business opportunities availed by the global superpower.

“The recent sanctions transition is an opportunity for the Government of Zimbabwe to undertake key reforms to improve its record on human rights, good governance, and anti-corruption. It is also an opportunity for Zimbabwe to change its own narrative and focus on the business opportunities and not the sanctions,” she said.

The public diplomacy officer said the United States yearns for improved bilateral relations with Zimbabwe.

“Our diplomatic and development engagement with many of Zimbabwe’s 16 million people demonstrates that the United States wants a constructive Zim-U.S. relationship.

“We continue to provide funding support and technical assistance in agriculture, health and governance programs. For example, in January, the United States committed an additional $11 million in food security support for Zimbabwe. Our assistance has delivered food to 230,000 of Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable people. That is in addition to the $115 million we have provided over the last five years for agriculture and food security.

Archer-Knepper said the US will help Zimbabwe to ease the burden posed by the El Niño drought.

She said the United States is eager to partner with the Zimbabwean people to help create an environment conducive to responsible investments that support the country’s sustainable development.

“U.S. foreign direct investment in Zimbabwe in 2022 was $238 million. That’s something, but not as much as many of Zimbabwe’s neighbors, and frankly it is not as much as the United States and Zimbabwe used to enjoy.

“We welcome the opportunity to increase bilateral trade and investment with Zimbabwe, but progress requires reform. Some of the elements that create an enabling environment for foreign direct investment include respect for rule of law, effective measures to combat corruption, reforms for the free transfer of funds into and out of the country, and exchange of currency at market rate.

Governments seeking domestic and foreign investment – including from U.S. companies – can increase the attractiveness of their investment climate by pursuing policies conducive to fair, transparent, and predictable conditions for investment,” said Archer-Knepper.