ZIMBABWE has made a strong case for the country as a premier investment destination in Southern Africa, through its dedicated country session at the ongoing India-Africa Business Conclave in New Delhi.
Zimbabwe rolled out a bold sales pitch at its country session, showcasing a wealth of opportunities in mining, agriculture, infrastructure, and technology. Vice President General (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga declared Zimbabwe is open for business, urging partners to move beyond raw exports and join in building value chains that benefit both nations.
Addressing delegates, Vice President Chiwenga said Zimbabwe is positioning itself as a gateway to a 300 million-strong SADC market and the African Continental Free Trade Area, with approximately 1.4 billion people.
“We are seeking partnerships to grow our economy through the creation of value chains and beneficiation, leveraging on our comparative advantage as an investment destination of choice. Zimbabwe is a gateway to a SADC market of 300 million people and is also a member of the African Continental Free Trade Area. That aims to create the world’s largest free trade area by connecting about 1.4 billion people. Indeed, the e-scope of leveraging our strategic geographical location in the region by establishing Zimbabwe as a regional hub for manufacturing and mineral processing with Indian expertise and investment,” he said.
“Zimbabwe is rich in natural resources, possessing significant deposits of lithium for the green energy transition in the region and the electric vehicle revolution. Our gold, diamonds, chrome, and coal reserves provide the backbone for industrial development and can fuel industrial partnerships for decades to come. It, therefore, becomes imperative that you consider Zimbabwe as the best investment destination. Then together, we value-add our resources for growth and export through building beneficiation plans and creating value chains that benefit both our peoples.
“In the agricultural sector, we seek investment in agricultural value chains to enhance productivity. Opportunities are valuable in irrigation development to utilise the existing water bodies in our country and climate-proof our agriculture in light of climate change. We also call for investment in agriculture-related value chains such as cotton clothing, food processing, dairy, and high-value crops. To enhance our export capacity, we also call for investment in cold chain facilities.”
From skills and health to agriculture and big-ticket investments, Zimbabwe’s ministers were on the frontline, pitching opportunities and fielding questions from Indian investors eager to explore new frontiers.
“We are looking for partnerships where our people can be trained in Artificial Intelligence. We are looking for those who can come to enhance our own trading institutions so that we can better serve, especially the young people, the women population, and all our industries in terms of mainstreaming, automation, the application of AI, and other related skills that are changing the world. We are pushing for skills development and would like to have partners,” the Minister of Skills Audit and Development, Professor Paul Mavima said.
“The tobacco sector has rebounded from about 150 to 180 million kilogrammes just a few years ago. Currently, we smashed records, and we have just exceeded 350 million kilogrammes, making us the third largest producers in the world. The cotton value chain is massive. We used to have the second-best cotton in the world because we still handpick our cotton. So the quality of our cotton is exceptional. We lost the poll position over the last two decades and we want to recover,” Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Honourable Peter Haritatos noted.
As the India-Africa Business Conclave progresses, Zimbabwe’s message is clear: it is ready to shift from potential to practice, offering its vast natural wealth, skilled workforce, and strategic location to Indian partners willing to invest, innovate, and industrialise alongside it.
