Staff Writer
Export promotion group, Zimtrade says Zimbabwe’s private sector could leverage on the ongoing Rwanda and Zimbabwe Trade and Investment Conference to foster business linkages between the two countries.
This comes after Zimbabwe and Rwanda signed five memoranda of understanding in the areas of information and communication technology and e-government, agriculture and livestock, tourism, the environment and climate change, and private sector cooperation, this Tuesday.
Zimtrade Chief Executive Officer, Allan Majuru said the ongoing Rwanda and Zimbabwe Trade and Investment Conference was an important step in cementing the relationship and delivering the results that urgently need to be implemented.
“The private sector should use this platform to tap into existing trade opportunities and seek synergies in uncharted areas which the two countries have just agreed on.
“Local companies need to combine efforts to minimise costs of penetrating new markets. Hence, collaboration is crucial in supporting trade promotion which can then assist both parties when entering new countries or establishing inter-regional trade, under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” he said.
Speaking at the same conference, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Dr Sekai Nzenza commended the support received from the private sector in Rwanda and Zimbabwe towards meeting the objectives of bilateral relations.
She said that Zimbabwe was geared towards economic development as part of the National Development Strategy (NDS 1), and this could be attained through private sector-led growth.
“Under the NDS1, Government intends to promote private-sector led growth, which Zimbabwe could learn by working closely with Rwanda,” she said.
Meanwhile, Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame has called on Zimbabwe to extend cooperation in the education sector by providing Rwanda with quality teachers in order to improve and stimulate their education.
These trade missions and export promotion come as ZimTrade ramps up efforts to scout for new export opportunities for local firms across the continent. ZimTrade continues to map up initiatives to ease off export barriers in an effort to reduce the country’s trade deficit.
