kenyans eager to invest in Zim

Midlands Bureau Chief
KENYAN investors are eager to exploit business opportunities in Zimbabwe especially in the area of manufacturing and ICTs, Kenya’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Lucy Chilemo has said. Addressing Steelmakers Limited management after a tour of the company in Kwekwe on Thursday, Chilemo said she had been sent to compile a report on areas of potential investment in the country.

She said she was happy to realise that Zimbabwe has great potential for investment.

“There are investors from Kenya who want to invest in Zimbabwe. So my task is getting the right information on potential areas of investment, which will be made available to investors in my country by my government,” she said.

“Then the investors would come through my government to Zimbabwe.”

Chilemo said Zimbabwe and Kenya were all-weather friends who have worked together from the days of the liberation struggle.

She said as such, both countries should work on developing each other socially and economically. “I therefore want to thank companies from Kenya that have remained in Zimbabwe even in times when the future looked gloomy,” she said.

Chilemo called on local companies to invest in youth development to curb unemployment.

She said youths should be assisted to get into business as they were the future.

“If we’ve for example youth from Kwekwe selling mealie meal to Steelmakers Limited, that’s creating employment in the high density suburbs, which is a great step towards having youth entrepreneurs,” said Chilemo.

Steelmakers Limited general manager Alexander Johnson said his company invested in Zimbabwe at the invitation of President Mugabe during his visit to Kenya in 1995.

He said the company has since opened branches in Redcliff, Masvingo and Chiredzi adding that it had potential to grow further.

“Steelmakers’ idea of investing in Zimbabwe came from His Excellency President Mugabe when he visited our operations in Kenya in 1995 where he was officially opening the agricultural show,” he recalled.

Johnson said despite the current operational challenges facing industries in Zimbabwe, his company had managed to survive adding that it would continue to strive and manufacture steel for the country.

“Kenya and Zimbabwe have a wonderful relationship of mutual respect and co-operation as exhibited in the various spheres of business enterprises. I must mention that there is so much more opportunities to do business in Zimbabwe and Her Excellency’s visit to various parts of the company will unfold these potential opportunities for Kenyan businesses to take advantage of.

“The problems in Zimbabwe are few although they’re grave in nature,” he said.

Zanu PF Politburo deputy secretary for administration, July Moyo, addressing the same gathering, said Zimbabwe had vast iron ore deposits, which were readily available to potential investors.

He said Zanu PF was grateful to the visit by Chilemo, which he said was going to open more investment doors between the two sister countries.

“In Africa Kenya is also leading in ICT and manufacturing and we can leverage more and boost our economic ties,” he said.