admindominated by foreigners.
Speaking at the Zimbabwe Diaspora Engagement Conference in Washington DC on Monday, the diasporans said they were eager to engage the Government on the matter.
This comes at a time MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai has courted the wrath of many Zimbabweans by proclaiming during the weekend that he would reverse indigenisation if his party won the forthcoming harmonised elections.
Speaking in an interview here, Zimbabwe Business Network International managing director Mr Esau Mavindidze, who is based in the US, said Government should consider allocating a quota for indigenisation for Zimbabweans living in the diaspora.
“What we are saying is that as the Diaspora community, we are in full support of indigenisation,” he said.
“We have started these engagements with the private sector and the Government back home because we feel we have an important role to play in the rollout this programme.
“We are now institutionalising the diaspora so that we play our part in this history making exercise.”
A high-powered delegation of technocrats led by permanent secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education Dr Washington Mbizvo is visiting the US to engage with Zimbabweans living in the diaspora with a view to luring them back home.
The visit, which is being held under the theme “The Zimbabwe Story – Working Together”, seeks to explore strategies that could be adopted for the diaspora communities to contribute positively to socio-economic development in the country.
Zim Expo Business Consortium chief executive Tonderai Tela said the diaspora community realised that indigenisation was the norm worldwide.
Zim Expo Business Consortium is also hosting a series of business forums with the Zimbabwe delegation.
“Through our experience of living in the diaspora, we have learnt that for any economic activity to prosper, it is the citizens of the home country who come first,” said Mr Tela.
“We remain Zimbabweans and we are eager to contribute to developments back home. It is a fact that annually we contribute to the economy through remittances and now we are saying that we can also contribute significantly to indigenisation and we are in full support of the initiative.”
Prominent businessman and Masawara chief executive Mr Shingai Mutasa said there should be no reversal to the indigenisation drive that is tailored to eliminate barriers in the economic empowerment of the majority of Zimbabweans.
“For a long a time, there have been barriers that have stood against the empowerment of Zimbabweans in their own country,” he said.
“But now we should know that the gates for opportunities have been opened. Indigenisation has removed the biggest barriers for empowerment and we should all be part of it.”
Online Reporter