Story by Oleen Ndori
THE country’s trade promotion body, ZimTrade has entered into a partnership with Business Russia in a move aimed at strengthening trade between the two countries in line with the National Development Strategy One.
The agreement brings to the table 55 Russian companies, which are interested in investing and partnering with Zimbabwe in infrastructure development and the manufacturing sector.
ZimTrade’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Allan Majuru believes that cooperation with Business Russia will be fruitful in increasing Foreign Direct Investment to Zimbabwe.
“Today’s physical meeting is a testament to the deep ties that bind Zimbabwe and Russia, our shared commitment to hard work, our rich cultural heritage, and our collective pursuit of prosperity. It reflects a common vision to strengthen trade and investment, forging a new brotherhood through economic cooperation. This platform allows Russian companies to showcase their expertise while enabling Zimbabwe to present its capabilities and identify areas of synergy with our Russian counterparts.
“This partnership was further strengthened during our meeting last year on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe-Russia Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPC). Together, we established a roadmap that included key initiatives such as sharing market intelligence and hosting a webinar. True to this commitment, we held the webinar on February 28, where we explored a wide range of opportunities for collaboration in trade, tourism, and investment,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Professor Amon Murwira said Zimbabwe is looking towards beneficial engagements for both countries.
“With exports spanning to tobacco, horticultural produce, and minerals, Zimbabwe’s engagement with BRICS nations continues to strengthen, reflecting the country’s commitment to identifying trade partnerships and tapping into the emerging markets with strong commitment to a multi-polar world. Zimbabwe presents a conduit through which the Russian Federation can broaden its economic strategy in Africa and the African continental free trade area.”
Zimbabwe is targeting growth in fields such as space technologies and Russia has already partnered with Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency in launching the ZIMSAT 2 in November last year.
