Blessing Chizhande
Theseus Mauruki Shambare in VICTORIA FALLS
ZIMBABWE is targeting at least 10 investment and partnership commitments at the inaugural Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) Global Summit here in Victoria Falls, as Government seeks to turn the high-level gathering into concrete investment opportunities.
The five-day summit, which runs from Monday is expected to attract between 1 500 and 2 000 delegates from more than 50 countries.
According to the summit concept note, a minimum of 10 investment and partnership commitments are expected to be documented during the inaugural edition through the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) Deal Room, ministerial engagements and cooperation agreements.
The commitments will include signed letters of intent, investment pledges and cooperation agreements, with organisers saying these will be captured on a public Commitment Tracking Portal.
TNF chairman and Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Edgar Moyo said the summit was an opportunity to take Zimbabwe’s tripartite dialogue model to the international stage.
“Zimbabwe’s Tripartite Negotiating Forum has demonstrated that when government, business and labour work together in structured dialogue, the results are transformative.
“This Summit takes that proven model to the global stage — inviting the world to witness what tripartism achieves, and to invest in the economy that has proven it works,,” he said.
The summit is being organised by the TNF Secretariat with support from the Government of Zimbabwe and endorsement from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), African Development Bank (AfDB), African Union Commission and SADC.
Investment promotion, beneficiation and industrialisation will be central to the discussions, with Zimbabwe seeking to attract capital into sectors capable of creating jobs and increasing the value derived from its natural resources.
The concept note identifies Zimbabwe’s deposits of lithium, platinum group metals, chrome, gold, nickel and diamonds as part of the country’s investment opportunities, while highlighting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a major market for investment and regional value chains.
The AfCFTA is described as a market covering 1,4 billion people, with a combined gross domestic product of about US$3,4 trillion.
President Mnangagwa is scheduled to officially open the summit on Wednesday, September 23, during a programme that will also feature high-level participation from the ILO and African Union Commission.
The programme will examine inclusive growth, smart investment, beneficiation, digitalisation, financial innovation, climate change, green jobs, youth, women, skills and the future of work.
A Zimbabwe Green Investment Spotlight will also form part of the programme, alongside the ZIDA investment Deal Room designed to facilitate direct engagement between Government and potential investors.
The summit will culminate in adoption of the Victoria Falls Declaration on inclusive growth, decent work, beneficiation and investment promotion.
Organisers have also set targets of at least 40 percent women among speakers, 15 percent youth representation among delegates and at least three post-summit policy recommendations adopted at national or continental level within 12 months.
The investment commitments will therefore form one of the key measurable outcomes of the summit, which organisers say is intended to move beyond dialogue towards documented and trackable commitments.
Online Reporter