Zim, Belarus deepen relations
LOCAL bus manufacturer AVM Africa yesterday signed a bus manufacturing memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Belarusian company Minsk Automobile Plant.
The City of Mutare signed another MoU for the supply of fire-fighting equipment.
The MoUs were signed during the ongoing inaugural Zimbabwe-Belarus Business Forum in Harare.
AVM Africa managing director Jacob Kupa said the partnership would help to ease transport challenges through the supply of buses fit for rural and urban use.
“Minsk and AVM Africa have today (yesterday) signed an agreement to manufacture buses in Zimbabwe with technology from Belarus and steel from our steel plant Manhize,” he said.
Minsk representatives said the agreement would help to facilitate business development and would be able to present new products in the near future.
Speaking on behalf of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga said the move was in line with Vision 2030, which would see Zimbabwe attaining a middle-upper-income status.
“Guided by our national Vision 2030 of becoming an empowered and prosperous upper-middle-income society, we are accelerating the implementation of bold and rebust economic reforms,” Mnangagwa said.
“These are deepening environment-related investment and business growth. Zimbabwe is, therefore, ready to welcome and facilitate more investors from Belarus in various sectors including mining, manufacturing and infrastructural development.”
The President said strong and sustainable partnerships would improve the quality of life for people as well as modernise and industrialise the two economies.
“I call upon Belarusian businesses to tap into these existing opportunities while we seek to benefit our two beautiful nations,” he said.
He urged Zimbabwean companies to take advantage of the country's co-operation with Belarus.
“Other business entities must emulate such developments and facilitate the development of greater synegies and collaborations. With regards to the continental level, our Belarusian counterparts are advised to note that there is no other time to invest in Zimbabwe than now. We are a competitive jurisdiction and part of a large single African Continental Free Trade Area,” he said.