Story by Abigirl Tembo
THE just ended 19th India-Africa Business Conclave has revealed a growing appetite among Indian investors to explore business opportunities in Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwean delegation attending the 19th India-Africa Business Conclave had a packed four-day schedule, as numerous Indian investors flocked to express interest in exploring investment opportunities in the country’s agriculture, infrastructure development and manufacturing sectors.
“We manufacture and supply industrial pumps to more than 70 countries in Africa we have been operating for the last 40 years and we are partners to many African countries their growth was the green revolution and food self-sufficiency programme our idea to meet the vice president is to see how we can partner to the growth of the Zimbabwe agricultural irrigation programme and we offer them how we can work with them. We have projects in South Africa, Ghana, Senegal and many other African countries and now we want to work with Zimbabwe,” said Kirloska Brothers Limited vice president and head of project sectors, Vikasa Agarwal.
“We are seemingly excited about the discussion with His Excellency the Vice President on his vision on how we can transform the agricultural value chains across Zimbabwe, we also discussed the farmer engagement programme to increase crop development as well as the village industries development which I was particularly very excited about and also to promote the trade routes with ZimTrade and along with Africa trade and distribution company and I think all this put together we are excited to start the activities along with our partners Afreximbank. We have been in Zimbabwe for the last three months,” noted Arise Integrated Industrial Platform Group Executive Director, Mr Nikhil Ghandi.
Wapcos Limited Director Ambassador Anil Trigunayat weighed in, “We have been working in Zimbabwe since 1984 so it been over 30 years that we have been serving your country in power and water so we called on his excellency the Vice President to discuss with him what other possibilities in which India can work with Zimbabwe and he has told us that Agriculture is one area irrigation is another one. We have done the Hwange thermal power project and there is also the Deka Water Project.”
“We were here to see the vice president and his delegation as well as esteemed members from the Indian members of Zimbabwe. We are currently contracted to the Afreximbank Africa trade centre in Harare we wanted to present to them our credentials as a recognised CPC contractor doing the project and a small update on the project also we recently commission the Deka Water pumping station in the north dear Hwange,” Shapoorji Pallonji Group representative, Sahil Patel.
The Indian investors’ enthusiasm for Zimbabwe is matched by the Zimbabwean government’s eagerness to attract foreign investment as explained by Ministry of Industry and Commerce Permanent Secretary Dr Thomas Utete, “One quick takeaway we had was the determination and willingness of the Indian government and business to come to Zimbabwe and do business with Zimbabwe we identified several operations that are ready to start and we have also communicated that the Indian community here that Zimbabwe is ready for business that we would like to work with them throughout the value chain from the small to medium enterprises to large infrastructure. We have had very positive outcomes from this conclave so we are very happy that we came here. It was a good decision. We have identified several sectors for joint ventures. Agro-processing food processing and then the bus and truck value chain and cotton value chain are the key areas we think of doing business with but on the major infrastructure project there is the electricity, the power, the railway, the road, I see a better future for Zimbabwe and its collaborations.”
Vice President General Retired Dr Constantino Chiwenga, who led the Zimbabwean delegation to the conclave, welcomed the Indian investors’ interest in Zimbabwe, saying the country is open for business.
“This 19th business conference has been a success for Zimbabwe. From the two which we have attended previously, we regard this one as very successful the team which I had which was well supported by our ambassador here Ms Stella Nkomo did perfectly well and you have seen in our team that we brought in Mutapa, ZIDA, the key ministries from higher and tertiary and from industry they were all here and we also brought in our business people we had a team of more than ten from different groupings but what is more important is that the projects which looked like they had stalled they have now been reopened and we will see quite a number of those coming on line being rolled on and yesterday we almost got to midnight. One company after the other one group after the other and they are eager to come all of a sudden India has now opened to Zimbabwe and they are very eager to come and do their investment and corporate with us on several projects“ he said.
Government efforts to create a business-friendly environment and implement investment-friendly policies are bearing fruit, with Zimbabwe now being considered one of the most attractive investment destinations in Africa.
Under the leadership of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the country has emerged as a prime destination for foreign investment, as evident from the eagerness of Indian companies to invest in the country at the 19th India-Africa Business Conclave.
