Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
THE inaugural Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) Global Summit begins in Victoria Falls tomorrow with up to 2 000 delegates from more than 50 countries expected to tackle issues around investment, jobs, industrialisation and mineral beneficiation.
The high-level five-day gathering comes as the country enters the second year of implementing the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), which places structural transformation, value addition, investment and inclusive growth at the heart of its pursuit of Vision 2030.
The summit runs under the theme “Inclusive growth, decent work, beneficiation and investment promotion.”
It brings together Government, business, labour, investors, development finance institutions, academics and youth innovators.
The official opening is set for Wednesday.
Top officials from the International Labour Organisation and the African union Commission are expected to attend.
TNF chairperson, who is also Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo, said the summit would take the country’s tripartite model of Government, business and labour dialogue.
“Zimbabwe’s Tripartite Negotiating Forum has demonstrated that when Government, business and labour work together in structured dialogue, the results are transformative,” he said.
The gathering comes against the backdrop of the country’s renewed push to move beyond the export of raw minerals and capture more value from its natural resources. The National Development Strategy 2 notes that while progress has been made in lithium, iron and steel, platinum, chrome and coal value chains, some minerals continue to be exported in raw form, leaving scope for greater domestic value addition, stronger manufacturing linkages and technology transfer.
Cabinet approved a minerals value chain framework earlier this year covering the progression from mining to beneficiation, industrialisation and export.
Investment will be another major test of the gathering. A Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) Investment Deal Room has been lined up to facilitate engagements between investors and Government, while organisers are targeting at least 10 documented investment and partnership commitments from the inaugural summit. The commitments are expected to cover investment deals, partnerships and cooperation agreements, with organisers proposing a public tracking mechanism to monitor progress after the event.
The summit will also put employment at the centre of the investment debate, with discussions covering decent work, industrialisation, skills development, digitalisation, green jobs and the future of work.
For Zimbabwe, the jobs question is particularly important as the country seeks to ensure that investment in mining, manufacturing, infrastructure and emerging industries generates opportunities beyond capital inflows. There will also be a focus on women and young people, with organisers targeting at least 40 percent women among speakers and 15 percent youth among delegates.
President Mnangagwa has previously linked mining investment and value addition to job creation and economic transformation, while Government has also been pursuing measures to improve the investment climate. Climate change and the green economy will form another strand of the discussions, with the programme providing for a dedicated day on climate change, green jobs and sustainable investment, including a Zimbabwe Green Investment Spotlight.
The summit is expected to culminate in the adoption of the Victoria Falls Declaration, setting out commitments on inclusive growth, decent work, beneficiation and investment promotion.
The TNF has also set a target of at least three post-summit policy recommendations being adopted at national or continental level within 12 months.
