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Government at the weekend announced that it is working on a number of projects meant to breathe new life into Bulawayo. Vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa said Bulawayo was one of the country’s special economic zones and as such was going to benefit from multinational companies that will establish branches in the country.
Vice President Mnangagwa who was addressing a star rally at White City Stadium on Saturday to drum up support for the five Zanu-PF candidates contesting the Wednesday by-elections in Bulawayo, said the government had signed a number of mega deals with friendly countries in Africa and Asia that will see the immediate resuscitation of industries in Bulawayo and other parts of the country.
He said the government was prioritising the revival of the Cold Storage Company (CSC) and the National Railways of Zimbabwe whose headquarters are in the city of Kings. He said these two parastatals were key to the country’s economic turnaround. Cde Mnangagwa said a number of multinational companies had shown interest in investing in Bulawayo.
He said these companies that had shown interest in investing in Bulawayo and other towns, already had markets around the globe so Bulawayo and other cities and towns chosen as investment destinations would immediately benefit in terms of employment creation.
Cde Mnangagwa said the government had engaged India to assist in the rehabilitation of the country’s railway system which he said was critical in moving freight especially to ports in neighbouring Mozambique. Bulawayo used to be the country’s industrial hub and there is no reason why it cannot regain this status.
Many industries that have either closed shop or have scaled down operations just need capital injection. What the people of Bulawayo and the rest of Zimbabweans want is the implementation of government programmes. There has been a lot of talking and what the people now want to see is action on the ground. A number of documents with high-sounding economic revival programmes are gathering dust in many government offices and it’s time some of these proposed programmes are implemented.
It is pleasing to learn that a number of multinational companies are interested in investing in Zimbabwe and particularly in Bulawayo. Bulawayo is strategically positioned given its rail and road network as well as its proximity to one of Africa’s economic giants, South Africa. Cde Mnangagwa said the government had conducted a study to establish what attracts companies to invest in a country and was working on making the environment conducive for investment.
What is critical is for the government to speak with one voice as opposed to past scenarios when senior government officials said contradicting statements on the same subject of investment.
We want at this juncture to implore the government to move with speed to make the environment conducive to investment. What is critical is for an investor to be guaranteed security of his or her investment. Zimbabwe is endowed with a wide range of natural resources that include minerals which most of these international investors are looking for.
Online Reporter