By Margaret Kamba 

His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa says his Government is determined to lift people out of abject poverty into a higher quality of life.

He said this while addressing the official opening of the 20th International Inter-Ministerial Conference on South to South and Triangular Cooperation in Population and Development underway in Victoria Falls.

"As we gather to take stock and reflect on this important subject before us, I am pleased to highlight that over the years, the Government of Zimbabwe has made significant strides in implementing the goals of the International Conference on Population and Development," said the President.

"To date, the total population of Zimbabwe has doubled from 7.6 million in 1982 to 15 million in 2022, an increase attributable to an overally improved quality of life.

"Additionally, the decline in HIV and AIDS-related mortality rates owing to the increased availability of Anti-Retroviral Treatment as well as reduced mother-to-child HIV transmission has had positive impacts.

"Zimbabwe's national Maternal Mortality Ratio is on a decreasing trend, from 651 per 100,000 live births in 2015, to 362 per 100,000 live births in 2022."

 President Mnangagwa added that the multi-pronged and people-centred national development agenda has registered progress on the social development front adding that this has resulted in Zimbabwe improving its Human Development Index rankings.

"My Administration is scaling up the implementation and promotion of sustainable economic growth, employment, and wealth creation towards accelerating national development, modernisation and industrialisation," President Mnangagwa said.