Development Cooperation in Zimbabwe
The Irish Government has provided development cooperation to Zimbabwe since its independence.
From 2017-2019, approximately €3.6 million per annum will be provided under the Ireland in the Southern Africa sub-region Strategy 2017-2021. During the final two years of the strategy – 2020 and 2021 - it is envisaged that the programme budget will increase to approximately €5million euro per annum (all budgets are subject to annual government approval). Currently, the programme is managed from Ireland’s Embassy in Pretoria with a small team located in Harare.
Healthcare for children and mothers
Our programme in Zimbabwe improves maternal and child health care by channelling much-needed resources to isolated district health care facilities through UNICEF. Irish funding also strengthens the capacity of civil society organisations to promote respect for human rights and address gender based violence.
Some key results achieved with Ireland’s contribution in 2017 are:
- 21,687 children were treated for malnutrition across Zimbabwe’s poorest districts.
- 303,111 pregnant women at risk of complicated delivery were identified and referred to relevant health facilities.
- 4,984,647 people reached with health promotion messages.
- Civil Society Organisations in Zimbabwe addressed 22,500 cases of human rights abuses.
Further detail on the Irish Aid programme in Zimbabwe is available in the Ireland’s Strategy on South Africa and the Southern Africa sub-region 2017-2021.
Development Cooperation in South Africa
South Africa’s continued development is significantly constrained by stark inequality and high youth unemployment. It is also beset with high levels of violence to which women and children are particularly vulnerable.
Ireland has provided development assistance to South Africa since 1994. Approximately €2 million per annum will be provided under the Ireland in South Africa Strategy between 2022 and 2026. We invest in education, entrepreneurship, and the development of critical skills, as well as addressing gender based violence.
Education Skills and Development
The Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme is a fully-funded scholarship opportunity offered to South African students to study at Master’s level in Ireland’s world-renowned Higher Education Institutions.
This flagship programme of the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa is part of the broader Ireland-Africa Fellows Programme. The Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme is targeted at early career professionals in South Africa and broadly supports leadership for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Supporting the development of women’s leadership capacity and women’s participation in STEM are particular priorities.
The Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme aims to support students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue Master’s level education in Ireland, and graduates of Universities of Historical Disadvantage and Universities of Technology in particular are encouraged to apply.
The Irish Tech Challenge seeks locally-owned, growth-stage tech start-ups − particularly young, black, women-owned businesses −start-ups whose work aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It aims to forge mutually beneficial partnerships between South African entrepreneurs and Irish technology expertise, leveraging Ireland’s position as a global high-tech hub, providing gateway to European and international markets.
The initiative will award five entrepreneurs up to €10 000 (about R204 000) each in funding, a funded trip to Ireland to participate in a curated business networking programme, access to the Irish tech ecosystem, as well as acceleration support, in collaboration with Dogpatch Labs in Ireland.
The Embassy further supports life-skills training in selected institutes of vocational training, and promotes greater links between South African and Irish institutes of higher education, such as the Charlotte Maxeke-Mary Robinson Research Chair partnership between South Africa's University of the Western Cape and Ireland's Trinity College Dublin.