Zim woos Belarus investors
LIVINGSTONE MARUFU
A business lobby group has implored the visiting Belarusian business delegation to tap into Zimbabwe’s vast opportunities, cementing ties between Harare and Minsk.
The delegation, arrived in the country on Sunday ahead of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko’s three-day State visit meant to strengthen ties between the two countries.
The Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce president Mike Kamungeremu, whose lobby group was responsible for the coming of the Belarusian delegation, told Business Times that the businesses from both nations should fully embrace and take advantage of this platform to promote trade and investments.
“To my Belarusian counterparts, I want to tell you a secret: there are vast opportunities in Zimbabwe”. That’s the secret,” Kamungeremu said, adding Zimbabwe would give the team access to a bigger market.
“For those considering establishing shop in Zimbabwe, please hurry up because Zimbabwe is also part of the African Continental Free Trade Area which is a market of 1.3bn people and a combined Gross Domestic Product of about US$3.4 trillion.”
ZimTrade CEO Allan Majuru said there were opportunities horticulture and leather sectors, urging companies to take advantage of opportunities that are available in Belarus and Zimbabwe markets.
“There is a need to explore strategic partnerships between Zimbabwean and Belarus companies to assist in further processing of primary products being exported by Zimbabwe,” Majuru said.
He said the organic food market has been on a continuous growth trajectory for more than seven years and is estimated to reach over US$300bn by 2025.
“Zimbabwe has the potential to grow and export organic produce to Belarus due to its organic soil and favourable climatic conditions. Zimbabwe has a Non-GMO policy that promotes the growth of natural healthy produce,” Majuru said.
The Zimbabwe private sector and their Belarusian counterparts facilitated the avenues of cooperation between the private sectors from both countries.
Both governments are at the forefront of ensuring that private sectors combine for the good of their respective countries.
“It is time for the business community to elevate the levels of cooperation between our two countries. We were somewhat lagging as the private sector, and I want to challenge myself and the rest of the business community to utilise this opportunity to enter into new markets, find new partners, and jointly grow our businesses,” Kamungeremu said.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been on a drive to lure investments under the “Zimbabwe is open for business” mantra.
