Chronicle Editor
Mabasa Sasa in Minsk, Belarus
GOVERNMENT is unwavering in its pursuit of bettering citizens’ livelihoods, hence the strong push to attract investment in key economic sectors, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
The Head of State and Government said this in Minsk, Belarus, on Thursday as he addressed business leaders here in a meeting organised by the Belarus Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
President Mnangagwa was in Belarus at the invitation of the country’s leader, President Alexander Lukashenko.
In a well-received investment pitch to Belarussian business, President Mnangagwa said: “We are determined to improve the quality and standard of living of our people.
“Foreign direct investment is a critical ingredient which will facilitate economic growth and development, in the bid to achieve our vision to become a middle-income economy by 2030. We, therefore, invite investors from Belarus to come and do business in Zimbabwe and take advantage of the strategic opportunities that abound in my country.”
President Mnangagwa said his administration was improving the macro-economic environment in Zimbabwe.
“Through our economic blueprint, the Transitional Stabilisation Programme, we expect to incrementally stabilise the economic environment, reduce Government deficit, the external debt and the liquidity challenges.”
He said Government was committed to entrenching “a disciplined, consistent and predictable business environment which is free from all forms of corruption”.
“My administration therefore guarantees the safety of investment and protection of private property rights. Foreign investors are free to repatriate their investment proceeds, in accordance with our laws.
“We have instituted a raft of economic reform measures to improve the ease and cost of doing business. The growth of trade and investment in mining, agriculture, infrastructure development, energy and power generation is expected to drive our economic development agenda.
“The Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act was amended and Diamond Policy is now in place. These and other developments are envisaged to give greater impetus to economic rejuvenation in my country.”
He invited Belarus’ private sector to set up shop in Zimbabwe, either as joint ventures, public-private partnerships or as solo entities, pointing out the vast potential in agriculture, fertiliser manufacturing, mechanisation in mining and agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and tourism, among other sectors.
Prior to the meeting with business leaders, President Mnangagwa laid a wreath to honour Belarussians who died in World War II.
Over a quarter of Belarus’ population, died during that war, totalling over 2,2 million fatalities — proportionally the highest of any nation in the conflict.
After that, the President toured the iconic Christian Orthodox Church Cathedral in the capital, which was built in the memory of any Belarussian who has died in any conflict.
Yesterday, President Mnangagwa headed for Kazakhstan for the third stop in his four-nation tour of Eurasia.
He has already had highly successful meetings with President Vladimir Putin in Russia, and after Kazakhstan, President Mnangagwa will round off the tour in Azerbaijan before heading for the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
derick.khumalo