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Harare Bureau
Nigerian billionaire Mr Aliko Dangote has renewed interest in pursuing his $1,5 billion investment in Zimbabwe and yesterday dispatched an advance team to Harare comprising geologists.
The team will be in the country for 10 days.
The delegation is expected to meet President Mnangagwa and Mines and Mining Development Minister, Wiston Chitando.
Mr Dangote visited the country in 2015 and expressed interest in power generation, coal mining and cement production.
He was then frustrated by the previous administration of Mr Robert Mugabe.
In an interview on landing at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Dangote Industries senior geologist, Dr Norash Kumar said they were interested in coal mining.
“It depends on the mineral potential that we are looking for,” he said. “This time we are looking for coal.”
Dangote Industries local representative, Mrs Josephine Mahachi, said they were hopeful things would work this time around. “The technical group is back in the country,” she said. “With the new dispensation, things are going to move on smoothly. This is the team that the president of Dangote Holdings, Mr Dangote, has sent to Zimbabwe to do the ground work before his major visit in the few weeks to come. They are here in the country for 10 days and looking for an investment of $1,5 billion.”
Buy Zimbabwe chairperson, Dr Anxious Masuka, said the visit by the Dangote team presented an opportunity for the country to create market linkages for the creation of wealth and jobs.
derick.khumalo