Online Reporter
Mukudzei Chingwere in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
ZIMBABWE’S Special Economic Zones have been presented with an opportunity to benchmark and seek peer collaborative support from Russia.
The envisaged partnership was ironed out by Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga when he met the vice president of the Instrument Special Economic Zone in Kublin, Mr Antonio Garanin.
The VP, who has since returned home, was in Russia for the Digital Industry of Industrial Russia (CIPR), which is among Russia’s largest annual platforms for digital economy development and industrial digitisation, bringing together industry leaders and technology experts to explore practical approaches to data-driven growth, international tech cooperation and industrial software solutions.
Indications are that the Russians want to help their Zimbabwean counterparts in areas such as technology transfer, education support and effective governance, as well as project planning.
VP Chiwenga said Zimbabwe is willing to partner the Russians, who are advanced and have developed their SEZs.
“We have come here to see how they have planned and developed their Special Economic Zone,” he said.
“So, we have seen the plans, and we have seen what has been done.”
VP Chiwenga said the SEZ he had seen is 6 000 hectares, but they started by developing phase one, which is 800 hectares.
“The flagship project, which we have just visited, is making tools for specialised equipment. We were seeing an example of small to medium companies involved in hi-tech to support bigger companies.
“They are doing a lot of other things for export. Why should we invent the wheel when it is already there? We learn from others and we improve our own capabilities,” said VP Chiwenga.
Mr Garanin said they are open to sharing their experiences with Zimbabwe and helping develop the country’s SEZs.
SEZs are designated areas within a country where governments often apply tailored rules and incentives such as streamlined licensing, tax or tariff benefits and investment-friendly regulations, to attract manufacturing, processing and export-oriented businesses.
In many cases, SEZs are also supported by dedicated infrastructure and governance arrangements intended to improve efficiency and reduce the obstacles that investors face in the wider economy.
