President Robert Mugabe has dismissed assertions that Zimbabwe is a fragile state, saying the country is instead one of the most developed nations in Africa.
Speaking in a panel discussion on fragile states at the ongoing 27th edition of the World Economic Forum on Africa in Durban, South Africa, Mr. Mugabe laughed off suggestions that his country was listed by some organizations as a fragile state.
According to the World Economic Forum website and the South African Citizen newspaper, the 93 year-old president noted that Zimbabwe has huge resources, a large number of universities, high literacy rate, and as a result, was one of the most developed African countries after South Africa.
“Zimbabwe is one of the most highly developed countries in Africa, and after South Africa. I want to know which country has that level of development that you see in Zimbabwe. We have got universities, our literacy rate is over 90% and is the highest in Africa. Don’t talk of us as a fragile state from an economic point of view. Yes, we have our problems, but we have achieved a lot.
“We have resources, perhaps more resources than the average country in the world, gold, diamonds, chrome, coal, et cetera. We’re utilizing that, and our agriculture is very powerful.”