ZNCC, Belarusian Chamber of Commerce sign new deal
LIVINGSTONE MARUFU
The Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) and the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce this week signed a new deal to strengthen the existing bilateral trade and investment relations cooperation.
More than 30 high ranking industrialists from Belarus led by Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister, Piotr Parkhomchyk met business leaders from Zimbabwe.
Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, was also in Zimbabwe for talks with his counterpart, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
ZNCC president Mike Kamungeremu said the new deal was comprehensive and will allow for enhanced cooperation in a wide range of areas.
“The economic cooperation between Belarus and Zimbabwe recognises that we are not competitors, but the private sector from both countries can complement each other through beneficial trade and investment,” Kamungeremu said at a meeting on Monday.
Speaking at the same event, Parkhomchyk said: “We will continue to explore opportunities in agriculture, mining, and industrial corporations. This is just the beginning of our cooperation.”
Zimbabwe’s imports from Belarus amounted to US$23.4m in 2021 down from US$30.7m in 2020 and the country mainly imports tractors and fertilisers from Belarus.
The ZimTrade CEO, Allan Majuru weighed in saying: “Belarus is (also) seeking a lot of opportunities in cut flowers, leather, women’s ensembles, jackets, and phosphates, and Zimbabwe can capitalise on this need.”
Industry and Commerce minister Sekai Nzenza told delegates that the coming in of a high powered delegation which includes President Lukashenko, Parkhomchyk, and several Belarusian ministers bears testimony of a commitment of both countries to strengthen economic ties and build a stronger relationship.
“In March 2018, Zimbabwe and Belarus signed an MoU on Economic and Trade Cooperation furthermore, US$68m worth of deals were signed between the two countries. Other deals signed during the same period include a US$43m MoU for the supply of agricultural equipment to Zimbabwe and a US$15m deal for the supply of forestry equipment to Allied Timbers. The deepening relationship between our two countries is a clear reflection that business cooperation is actively developing with our counterparts already affecting the deals,” Nzenza said.
Guest of honour, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said the business forum provided a conducive platform to engage and exchange knowledge, experiences and inform each other about trade and investment opportunities in the two countries.
“I am confident that the resultant cross-pollination of ideas, sharing of experiences, and good practices will unlock our potential leveraging on our rich natural resource endowments.
“In this regard, Zimbabwe boasts of trade and investment opportunities in agriculture, mining, tourism, energy, transport, and education.
“I, therefore, exhort Belarus companies to consider investing in these sectors,” Chiwenga said.
