Let’s create win-win partnerships

is a great example of how we can create win-win partnerships in the Southern Africa Development Community.
The Chibuku example will definitely be one issue that will suit our discussions at the forthcoming Buy Zimbabwe Conference and Experiential Expo to be held on March 29-30, 2012.
Just like Chibuku, the green fuel project is another national pride.
However, inasmuch as it has the potential to achieve what Chibuku has done in terms of brand loyalty across the world, it seems to be failing to break into the local market.
My feeling is that Government is to blame for this. Last week, I briefly mentioned how Government has failed to support the green fuel project and I feel I should emphasise my point again.
The US$600 million project is on the verge of collapse. There are a number of issues attributed to this and I feel that the market has not been educated enough about the project and its product and benefit to the country.
According to the Green Fuel website, green fuel can reduce dependence on fuel importation in Zimbabwe  by 2020.
Now with such prospects, the country cannot afford to ignore the project at all, but let us educate the user first.
It is disturbing that Obel petroleum, another player in the petroleum industry, has sunk into oblivion despite having a high quality certified product.
Which brings me to another issue, Green Fuel should consider getting its product certified as a starting point to gain market confidence.
We look forward to seeing exports of green fuel reaching figures such as those achieved by Chibuku.
I have always known the beer to be a favourite of many in Botswana, but to have broken into Central and West Africa came to me as a surprise.
There is hope for another wholly Zimbabwean project to make a mark at a global market.
For all our local companies eyeing the export market,  it would be prudent to interrogate Chibuku’s penetration strategies.
Chibuku’s remarkable growth in foreign lands is a clear sign that it is possible for our local brands to make inroads into external markets.
In any case, Chibuku is not the only example that we have. Anticipation is high that some of our most recognised partners such as Schweppes will be available to share how their Mazoe brand has managed to have a strong footprint in both regional and international markets.
Zimbabwe also boasts the Tanganda brand, which competes remarkably well with Malawian tea and is being used the world over to blend some of the best teas.
Zimbabwe has enormous potential as an exporter, offering a unique combination of high quality products that have a ready market across the globe but we still struggle with a huge trade deficit.
The economy is skewed towards imports while the performance of our brands does not reflect their high quality and potential demand.
To me this is a paradox.
This, I believe, may be due to the fact that we are still hanging on to the past.
Zimbabwe is struggling to identify new priority markets and establishing effective market entry initiatives.
Interestingly, over the last couple of weeks as                   Buy Zimbabwe, we have had interactions with a number of interested foreign buyers, suppliers and distributors who are exploring the country’s products and services.
We have received correspondence from Malawian businessmen who see export/import opportunities in the country and will be visiting very soon.
The Buy Zimbabwe team met with a group of potential investors from Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and I must say that sometimes you get the feeling that we do not see  the potential that others see in us.
Why is it we continue to fail to see the potential that everyone else sees?
For lack of better reasoning, I will say that it is probably because as a country, we have failed to create win-win partnerships between ourselves, between Government and the private sector.
My hope is that the conference will be able to provide an answer to that.
However, we do have the Mid-Term Plan 2011-2015 presented by the Ministry of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion in May last year, which creates space for win-win partnerships between Government and the private sector.
Another Zimbabwean paradox is that our competitive spirit tends to tear us apart.
This is why most of the time when you send a Zimbabwean delegation to scout for partnerships they return with very little or nothing.
I hope that this will also be discussed by the panellists at the conference. Next week we will look at how we can have a more domestic approach and focus.
Readers who have issues that they may wish highlighted can forward their comments to this writer.
Till then . . . God bless you.

l Robert Garai Muganda is the Media and Communications Executive for Buy Zimbabwe. He can be contacted on: cell: 0772 714 233 email: [email protected], Facebook: buy zimbabwe campaign