‘Zim will conquer the world’

JT: I came here on the 31st of July 2011 and this is my first ambassadorial appointment. Before then, I was India’s Consular General in Sao Paulo Brazil. On my impressions, in one sentence I would say I am simply in love with this country. Before I was posted to Zimbabwe I surfed the Internet and let me admit that most of the information was negative. Even some of my friends in the West said negative things but when I met some industrialists who were doing business with Zimbabwe they said contrary to the belief, Zimbabwe is one of the safest countries in Africa. I have established for myself that Zimbabweans are the most literate people in Africa. They are polite, educated and they speak English well.
Zimbabwe has all the ingredients to be on top of Africa. This country is one of the most beautiful.
VR: Zimbabwe and India have come a long way. How would you describe existing relations between the two countries?
JT: India relations with Zimbabwe date back to more than 100 years ago when the first Indian settlers came to Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia. Zimbabwe’s politicians and freedom fighters were given morale support by the Indian government and the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was there at Lancaster House (in London) when the Lancaster agreement was signed. We also fought the war shoulder to shoulder with this country in the liberation struggle with the likes of Senator (Kantibhai) Patel who was declared a national hero.
President Mugabe visited India in 1983 during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit Meeting and in 1985 Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visited Zimbabwe. In 1991 India gave President Mugabe the J L Nehru award, one of India’s top awards. Relations between India and Zimbabwe since that time have been developing at a constant pace.
Today, we have about 10 000 Indians in Zimbabwe in various sectors of the economy and they have assimilated Zimbabwe so much. Now we have adopted the programme Look Africa where you find that Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular is much closer to us than the Western World. We want to give whatever assistance we can to our friends in Africa especially in capacity building.
VR: Given this thrust by your country, what was your major brief when you came to Zimbabwe?
JT: When I came here my major brief was to see to it that bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and India grow rapidly and stronger. We wanted to assure our friend Zimbabwe that India is standing not behind it but besides it to help in whatever way we can.
This is assistance without any conditions because we are not like some other countries that put conditions. Our belief is always to have constructive engagements. We do not operate like givers and takers but as partners in progress.
VR: In that spirit how close are the political ties between the two countries presently?
JT: We have very cordial relations which are increasing and intensifying. As regards political problems the two countries may be facing, let the people of these countries decide and not others. Let every country have a political system that suits its culture. One-size-fits-all should not be the norm to decide about each country. It depends on the conditions, beliefs,  ethnicity . . . Whatever is true for the West may not be so for Africa. Every country has its own system and the West must not interfere. If they don’t want other countries to interfere in their matters they should also not interfere in ours. The developed world is not always right.
VR: You imply that the West has taken a wrong approach on such countries as Zimbabwe. What is your take on the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe?
JT: In the very near future these sanctions will have to be lifted because nobody can ignore Zimbabwe now. Moreover, the belief of our people is that punishment is not the way to reform but positive engagement. Not punishing but assisting . . . Punishment makes people even more stubborn.
VR: India is an economic powerhouse that has taken a deliberate approach to engage Africa in that respect. Explain the trade relations between India and Zimbabwe?
JT: Trade between India and Zimbabwe has not been as much as it should be. We signed the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement in 1999 and India has already ratified it. I hear the Parliament of Zimbabwe recently approved it. In the year April 2011 to March 2012 the trade figure was US$123 million but we believe by the end of this year it will have increased significantly because Zimbabwe is now a big exporter of rough diamonds to India and because of the desire by both countries to further strengthen economic ties. There is a lot to be done between the two countries.
Presently India imports mostly minerals from Zimbabwe and we export to this country various machinery, Information and Communication Technology, medicines and printed materials. Already we are considering a small line of credit of US$100 million for the health sector.
VR: The announcement of this facility was made in January. When should we expect the funds to come through?
JT: Our team has visited Zimbabwe and is finalising the feasibility report. The facility could be in place in a month’s time.
VR: Any other such facilities in place?
JT: Yes we have a lot on the ground. At the India-Africa Summit in Addis Ababa in February 2011, India pledged a sum of US$6 billion for the development of our friendly countries of Africa. Under this programme in Zimbabwe, we are establishing two institutions which are a food testing laboratory and a rural technology park so hopefully two teams from India will be in Zimbabwe in the very near future to have discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture for logistics plus another to develop SMEs.
We are also working with the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises to establish 19 centres where SMEs can access machinery for such projects as carpentry, bottle and cap making and even more sophisticated machinery. We have established an Indian Centre at the Harare Institute of Technology with 14 machines. Also, our people have been impressed by the basket weavers in this country and we are planning to train basket weavers at the National Institute of Design in India to improve their designs and to impart managerial skills. Under our ITEC programme we have given out 150 scholarships and every year we give 18 scholarships to Zimbabweans for regular studies such as bachelors and masters degree programmes. On these programmes we cater for all expenses.
We have also launched two or three projects on E-Learning (launched by Vice President Joice Mujuru at the University of Zimbabwe recently) and E-connectivity. We are also launching E-Medicine under which Parirenyatwa hospital will be connected to 12 super specialist hospitals in India via the internet for real-time consultancy. These are only a few of the many projects currently underway and more are coming.
VR: The recent visit by Vice President Mujuru to India showed that Indian investors are keen on doing business with Zimbabwe. Is this reflective of what is on the ground?
JT: Yes certainly. If you noticed, because of the growing interest on Zimbabwe, we dedicated a full day to Zimbabwe at the just-ended India-Africa Conclave in India. I understand VP Mujuru had fruitful meetings there and many more projects will come out of these.
VR: You mentioned your interest in Zimbabwe’s diamonds earlier on, how important is Zimbabwe in the global diamond mix?
JT: Zimbabwe is poised to supply 25 percent of rough diamonds and India is the biggest destination for these. In India we have one million trained diamond polishers and cutters. It’s a big industry. We are prepared to co-operate in the diamond sector and we are ready to give training to Zimbabweans. There are a lot of possibilities in this area and we are prepared to help in one way or the other.
We are also keen to invest in infrastructure, power generation and irrigation, mining and textiles. We are also planning to establish an incubation centre for SMEs and a textile hub for which we are already in discussion with the Government of Zimbabwe.
VR: What challenges, if any, do business people from India experience as they seek to do business in this country?
JT: One problem is that it takes unduly long for Indian businessmen and investors to get a visa to come to Zimbabwe. I think Zimbabwe visa rules were made sometime in 1980 and at that time India was not a country in a position to offer much to Zimbabwe but now things have changed. And we need to relook at the visa issue. I am sure the Government is doing something about it.
It also takes an inordinately long time to complete the investment formalities. An example is that of Essar. An agreement was signed in March last year but till yesterday (April 16) the company had not yet been issued with a mining licence. This is a company that will invest US$4 billion in four years. So these delays create a fear psychosis for other industries and I am sure the Government of Zimbabwe is working to make things faster and clearer.
In India, for investments, except in Defence and Railways, you do not need any permission. You just indicate your investment within 30 days. When rough diamonds are imported there is no import duty and when they are exported there is no export duty. Importing machinery only attracts a 5 percent duty.
VR: As a big brother, what advice would India give to help revive the economy?
JT: No country in today’s world can survive on raw material exports be it minerals or agricultural produce. So for Zimbabwe whatever you have, you should value-add so that your value comes back to you instead of exporting something that does not give you a full return. The period for investment approvals should be minimised.
You can also come up with co-operative based industries. Where there is a will there is a way. Zimbabwe has all the ingredients of being one of the best economies in Africa.
If India, with a population of 1,2 billion people could become self-sufficient in food after a severe famine in 1969, Zimbabwe with about 14 million people can regain its food basket status in the region.
My advice is that the whole universe is for all of us. If you are right, stand firm on your ground and aim at development and all the obstacles will automatically be surmounted.