Italian envoy bids farewell

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ITALIAN ambassador to Zimbabwe Enrico De Agostini (EDA) is moving to another posting in August after a four-year term in the country.

ITALIAN ambassador to Zimbabwe Enrico De Agostini (EDA) is moving to another posting in August after a four-year term in the country.

He recently sat down with Munya Simango (MS) for a wide-ranging interview regarding his mission to Zimbabwe.

Below are excerpts from the interview.

MS: The word that most often comes up when people describe your diplomatic work in Zimbabwe is “different”. Can you tell us why?

EDA: I believe that the standard concept of diplomacy or diplomatic work is exceedingly stale, really. Most people think of it as a rather formal affair, involving lots of protocol and etiquette, which is the truth under some circumstances, but it’s not the whole truth.

Nowadays if you want to represent your country well, you must reach out to the people and to the media, “get your hands dirty” and “your sleeves rolled up”.

MS: Which is something you certainly did during your mandate in Zimbabwe. Were there any moments during which you thought you’d overdone it?

EDA: All the time! When you do something unconventional, like cooking or appearing on stage, you always feel some eyebrows might be raised, but that’s part of the game. I would be more worried if what I do was considered ordinary. After all, I represent a very innovative and artistic country — nothing is ordinary about Italy and it is only natural that I should try and convey that message.

MS: You have witnessed change in Zimbabwe. What is your gut feeling about the future of this country?

EDA: Good, very good. The momentum is palpable, people want to move forward, they are enthusiastic about their future and they are not going to let things revert to how they were before last November. Zimbabwe needs to go through this electoral process peacefully, fairly and credibly; it’s such a watershed moment in its history and Zimbabweans know it. Then, given the right conditions, investment will come.

MS: What do you mean by right conditions?

EDA: I mean competitive. Every sector of the economy that is potentially attractive will draw foreign capital if it is competitive with similar markets. I think indicating that you are “open for business” is an important first step. It signals good intention, but it’s not enough if your competitor has easier rules than yours to do business and, may be, lower costs.

You can’t just be open, you must be ready too. The currency situation is unfortunately a symptom of a lack of readiness and it affects business negatively.

MS: But doesn’t the fact that large deals have been signed indicate that the conditions are already right?

EDA: They are evidently right for some, but they must be right for all. It takes more than “mega deals” to develop a country. It takes modern macroeconomic and sectorial policies, as well bureaucrats who are willing and capable to implement them.

This is a crucial point because so often bureaucracy — and this happens everywhere in the world — is averse to change.

MS: Any suggestions for the government?

EDA: Look, one fundamental mistake that a diplomat should never make is to appear condescending or patronising by suggesting what the host government should or shouldn’t do, especially in countries with a recent history of colonisation, that sort of thing is bound to backfire on you (and, by the way, it isn’t right to do it anywhere). But I if were in their shoes, I’d listen to the businesspeople, they generally know what’s best to revive the economy.

MS: How do you see Zimbabwe’s re-engagement with the international community?

EDA: I think it’s already happening. The government has sent special envoys to many Western countries and it is clear that it wants to make progress. I believe the key issue, though, is the repayment of arrears with the international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the European Investment Bank, as well as the bilateral creditors. That is the key to the Zimbabwean economy’s revival because it cannot happen without the crucial economic reforms that the country needs. It’s a virtuous cycle.

MS: And we go back to the right conditions we were talking about earlier…

EDA: That’s right; this is the so-called “Lima Process”. In mid-2015 the Zimbabwean government indicated that it wanted to engage with the international financial institutions to solve this problem and (Finance) minister (Patrick) Chinamasa prepared a document, which spelt out the reforms needed for the economy of Zimbabwe to recover.

As he put it at that time, these measures were not designed to “please” the creditors. No, these were things that Zimbabwe needed to do in its own interest. Cut public spending, ensure security of land tenure, reduce the operational costs of business, make it easier for companies to register and operate, these are some examples of what needs to happen. Not for the sake of the international creditors, but for the Zimbabwean economy to bounce back.

MS: But three years down the line, very little has happened.

EDA: That’s right. With the notable exception perhaps of the amendment to the indigenisation law, reforms have been a little slow, let’s say. And we know the people who live in this country know that politics got in the way. In many ways, the Zimbabwean economy is a casualty of politics. First it was the “factionalism”, then the political transition and now the elections.

I am confident, though, that the government’s priorities — whichever government Zimbabwe has after the elections — will be driven by the need to revive the economy.

They have to be. Hopefully, nothing will get in the way this time.

MS: Tell us about the bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and Italy.

EDA: They have always been excellent, to the point that when I hear the word re-engagement my first reaction is, we never disengaged! Even at the time of the deepest political rift between this country and the Western world, Italy always tried to maintain a balanced position on how we related to Zimbabwe. And that was demonstrated in very concrete ways. The Tokwe Mukorsi dam, for example, was built by an Italian company, Salini, which never abandoned the project, not even when the government owed it many millions in arrears. Bilateral relations are a long-term affair and we don’t believe in sudden U-turns. But, of course, we need to deepen these relations and give them more structure. We have a Bilateral Protection and Promotion Agreement (Bippa), for example, that was signed 19 years ago and it was never ratified (ie, converted into law) by Zimbabwe. Of course, Italian companies still look at Zimbabwe as a potential market, but for them Zimbabwe will truly be “open for business” when it fulfils a commitment it undertook such a long time ago. It’s a matter of credibility and credibility means a lot in business and in relations in general.

MS: For four and a half years you have been Italy’s face in Zimbabwe. What do you regard as your major achievements in Zimbabwe?

EDA: It is difficult for me to “blow my own trumpet” but the very fact that you are interviewing me is an achievement, it’s recognition of the role I played and I thank you for that. What I realised when I arrived here was how little Zimbabweans knew about Italy — apart from Ferrari, pizza, pasta and the fashion industry — and how little Italians knew about Zimbabwe. That is why I decided to work so much on culture, taking MUSICA, our musical festival, to a new level, cooking in prominent restaurants, encouraging professional artists and schoolchildren to create around environmental themes, and so on.

Four years down the line, last January, when I proposed to organise a business mission to Italy, the response from Zimbabwean companies was overwhelming: 43 of them came and lots of interesting discussions were started with potential Italian partners. I think this was thanks to the knowledge, the credibility and the contacts we’d built with these activities.

Also, little by little, Italians are becoming more familiar with Zimbabwe. Its participation in Expo Milan 2015 was a great success as is its continued presence in the Venice Biennale, curated by the National Gallery.

MS: The thing you are most proud of?

EDA: To be recognised as one of you, to be greeted in the street by ordinary Zimbabweans in Shona: “mamuka sei, Ambassador!”

MS: The thing you’ll miss the most?

EDA: Nothing. Ndichadzoka manje manje! (I’ll be back soon!)