A new envoy, a new impetus: Swiss Ambassador presents credentials in Harare
Switzerland’s new Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mrs. Christine Schraner Burgener, has formally begun her tour of duty after presenting her credentials to President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House in Harare. She will also serve as Switzerland’s Ambassador to Zambia and Malawi, with residence in Harare.
The ceremony was more than a diplomatic formality. It came as Zimbabwe seeks to deepen its engagement with international partners and attract investment, while Switzerland looks to build on a relationship that already extends across development cooperation, trade, investment, innovation and people-to-people ties.
President Mnangagwa described the relationship with Switzerland as one in which there is scope to deepen partnerships in development, innovation and commerce. Ambassador Schraner Burgener, for her part, pointed to the substantial presence of Swiss companies in Zimbabwe and said she would encourage more Swiss enterprises to explore opportunities in the country.
There is a practical reason for this emphasis on business. Zimbabwe has considerable economic potential, from mining and agriculture to tourism and renewable energy, but converting potential into investment requires confidence, predictability and strong commercial relationships. The double taxation agreement between Switzerland and Zimbabwe, which the Ambassador highlighted, provides one of the instruments for making greater economic engagement easier.
The agenda is broader than trade. Switzerland and Zimbabwe already cooperate in areas including governance, human rights, peacebuilding and development, with Swiss-supported programmes designed to strengthen institutions, livelihoods and resilience. The new Ambassador’s experience spans diplomacy, international cooperation and conflict prevention. She previously served as Switzerland’s Ambassador to Thailand and Germany and was the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Myanmar from 2018 to 2021. She subsequently headed Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration before returning to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 2025.
That experience should prove useful in a country where diplomacy increasingly involves more than diplomacy. Zimbabwe’s economic transformation will depend not only on capital, but also on skills, institutions, technology and international partnerships. Switzerland, meanwhile, brings expertise in precisely the areas where long-term development is built: innovation, vocational skills, responsible investment, governance and sustainable economic development.
The opportunity, therefore, is to make the bilateral relationship more practical, commercial and connected to people’s lives. More Swiss investment can create jobs; stronger economic links can open markets; development cooperation can help improve the conditions in which businesses and communities operate. The relationship works best when these strands reinforce one another.
Ambassador Schraner Burgener’s arrival comes at a moment when both countries have an interest in making their partnership count. Zimbabwe is looking outward for investment and economic opportunity. Switzerland is looking to deepen constructive partnerships in a changing Africa.
The next chapter will be measured less by the number of diplomatic meetings than by what follows them: more investment, stronger institutions, new commercial links and tangible opportunities for people in both countries.