VP Mnangagwa gets tough on red tape

Hatred Zenenga recently in China

Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa is giving top priority to increasing FDI inflows into Zimbabwe with the creation of an Investor Roundtable to specifically handle Chinese businessperson with minimum bureaucratic delays.

VP Mnangagwa, who returned home yesterday evening following a fruitful five-day official visit to China, said it was unacceptable for Zimbabwe to take between six to 24 months to get investment approval.

“Why are we doing that? This has to stop. What we are now doing is that when an investor from China comes, the first thing is we call a meeting with all the ministers whose ministries fall under the investor’s area of interest.

“It will be easier to know which ministries are doing what and then make a follow-up with the minister. In countries like Rwanda, it takes an investor six days to just know if the investment will go ahead. All the necessary processes of approval will then follow,” said the VP in one of his meetings in China.

VP Mnangagwa said in another meeting that if investors encountered problems with Government officials, they should approach his office.

He said the Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Ministry would spearhead the changes.

“This will result in improved interfacing with Chinese investors,” said the VP.

His visit, which he concluded on Friday with a tour of Special Economic Zones and industrial parks, had him oversee signing of several memoranda of association aimed at boosting trade and investment.

A team of experts from the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission is already in Zimbabwe to train Government officials on Special Economic Zones and execution of bankable projects.

VP Mnangagwa’s visit was at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart and a follow-up on the mega bilateral deals President Mugabe signed in Beijing last year.