adminBlessings Chidakwa
Herald Reporter
Trade between Zimbabwe and Türkiye is continuing to grow under the Second Republic with the two nations having traded goods worth US$32 million in a period of a year, Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube revealed.
Further, Zimbabwe is set to benefit more from construction expertise from Türkiye, which has world class experience in that field.
The two nations celebrated the 40th year of diplomatic relations last year, with the Zimbabwean embassy having been opened in Ankara under President Mnangagwa’s administration as relations with other countries continue thawing, with the engagement and re-engagement drive paying off.
Prof Ncube, speaking in an interview with TRT Africa, said Türkiye was a strategic partner for the country.
“The trade between Zimbabwe and Türkiye is growing, for example in 2021 Türkiye exported goods worth about US$17 million to Zimbabwe,” he said.
“The same year 2021, we exported goods worth about US$15 million to Türkiye and things that we exported include ferroalloys. In turn we imported things such as garments and other things that are being supplied to our manufacturers and traders.”
Prof Ncube said he expected trade to continue growing between Zimbabwe and Türkiye.
“Also, they have got very good construction companies who have done a lot of good work across Africa putting up serious structures, conference centres and so forth,” he said.
“We think that overtime too will be seeking perhaps services of Turkish companies in our various construction projects, but we have been clear though we always want to make sure we promote local constructors first.”
Prof Ncube said there were certain projects that could just require an experienced contractor and Türkiye had such good contractors.
He said trade will continue growing between Zimbabwe and Türkiye.
Having historic and cultural ties with the continent, Türkiye’s relations with Africa have accelerated over the past 20 years.
As a strategic partner of the African Union (AU), they have organised three Türkiye-Africa Partnership Summits.
Online Reporter