Chiwenga to officiate at Investment Forum 

THE Industry and Commerce ministry is set to host the highly anticipated Investment Forum which is expected to attract key stakeholders and policymakers from across the African continent.

The ministry will host the event, set for Monday next week, in collaboration with the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, Southern African Development Community (Sadc) secretariat and the Sadc Business Council.

The Investment Forum will be held on the sidelines of the 7th Annual Sadc Industrialisation Week (SIW), a platform dedicated to fostering intra-African trade and regional investment.

Running under the theme Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development towards an Industrialised Sadc, the Investment Forum will bring investment promotion agencies, industrial development corporations and sovereign wealth funds from Sadc member countries under one roof.

Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga is expected to officially open the forum, setting the tone for engaging and fruitful discussions.

Industry and Commerce secretary Thomas Utete Wushe said collaborated mobilisation efforts, particularly by Zimbabwe’s ambassadors to the region, had attracted a huge number of delegates to the week-long conference.

“Over 1 800 delegates are expected to attend the conference, including foreign investors and key business groupings from outside the Sadc region,” he said.

Notably, the Investment Forum has attracted high-profile investors from both the Sadc region and the global arena.

Ten investment promotion agencies from Sadc member countries, along with over four industrial development corporations, will actively participate in the event.

Additionally, sovereign wealth funds from the region, including the Rwanda Development Board, Rwanda Mines Board and Gasabo Gold Refinery, will also be in attendance.

The Investment Forum is set to host a delegation from Turkey, led by Volkan Kazova, chairperson of DEİK (Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey).

DEİK, a prominent Turkish trade organisation, aims to advance business diplomacy and foreign economic policies of the Turkish private sector.

Furthermore, Zhao Xin and 13 other investors from China are expected to grace the event while Egypt’s Sherif El-Gabaly, a leading figure in chemical engineering and fertiliser production, will also attend, along with Fathi Shabana from Algeria.

A delegation from Ghana with interests in the fertiliser sector is also expected in the country.

Wushe said the convergence of industry leaders would provide a unique opportunity to explore potential collaborations and partnerships.

The forum has also attracted sponsorship from regional institutions, the African Development Bank as the platinum sponsor and Afreximbank.

Leading local companies that also sponsored SIW include Innscor Africa, Liquid Zimbabwe, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe and Old Mutual.

Speakers from Zimbabwe, the region and around the world will share their expertise and insights during the Investment Forum including Fatou Haidara, the UNIDO deputy to director-general and managing director of the Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations, who will address the conference.

Gainmore Zanamwe, from Afreximbank, will present on interventions to promote and facilitate investment in Africa, while Fambaoga Myambo will speak on spatial development initiatives.

The project aims to establish railway, road and high-speed internet connectivity from Beira to Harare, extending to Botswana and Walvis Bay, Namibia.