Story by Tapiwa Machemedze
A call has been made for local authorities to enhance marketing ease of doing business measures to boost investment in Mashonaland Central province.
This emerged at the Bindura Investment Conference held on Tuesday.
Bindura Municipality went on the charm offensive to lure investment to the mining town after convening its inaugural business conference, which attracted diverse stakeholders.
“We are in the mining supplies business and are based in Kadoma so we have begun to establish a presence here in Bindura that’s why we came here and it has been worthwhile,” an attendee said.
Another said, “Our company is currently undertaking construction of a shopping mall in Mazowe so we came here to see opportunities available in Bindura.”
“I am a local businessman the founder of Simwami investments so I came here to see what our council has in store for us. I plan to establish a quarry plant in the next 3 months so business networking remains critical,” another added.
Bindura Municipality announced plans to achieve city status by 2028, highlighting investment opportunities in agro-processing, manufacturing, minerals, religious tourism and real estate sectors.
“Bindura is open for business. We are ready to work with you in unlocking our potential, but it’s a collective responsibility. Let’s seize the moment to make our town great and improve lives in line with Vision 2030,” Bindura Mayor Councillor Jacob Gwature said.
Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Christopher Magomo challenged the town and local authorities to take deliberate efforts to attract investors.
He said, “Mashonaland Central is endowed with abundant resources, hence strategic investment is key to sustainable utilisation of these resources. I urge you all to be diligent in ensuring ease of doing business not just in Bindura but Mashonaland Central.”
With huge demand for housing and the establishment of schools coupled with its provincial capital status, which comes with housing government offices and parastatals, Bindura Municipality has an advantage over other districts to lure investors in the province.
Minister Magomo urged local authorities not to abandon small and medium enterprises in their development planning as they strive to attract large capital investments.
