The second Belarus-Zimbabwe Business Forum

On the eve of the state visit of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, the Belarus-Zimbabwe business forum was organized in the capital of Zimbabwe, Harare.

The forum with the participation of representatives of the business community of Belarus and Zimbabwe has been held by the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry together with the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce for the second time. The theme of the event was "Expanding Horizons: Dynamic Solutions for Economic Development".

The opening of the business forum was attended by the First Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Constantino Chiwenga, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Piotr Parkhomchik, Minister of Industry and Commerce of Zimbabwe Sekai Nzenza, President of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce Mike Kamungeremu, Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mikhael Miatlikov.

Constantino Chiwenga lauded the warm relations between the two countries. Their gradual strengthening was facilitated, among other things, by previous visits at the highest and high levels.

"The forum is an ideal platform to exchange views, knowledge and information on economic development. I hope it will help us exchange experience and knowledge that will further unlock the full potential that both parties have," he said. "There are plenty of opportunities in Zimbabwe to invest in a wide variety of industries. These are agriculture, mining, tourism, energy, transport, education and many others. I ask our partners from Belarus to consider opportunities to invest in our enterprises, because in this country our priority is to facilitate the conditions for doing business. This is part of our strategy for economic and political development through 2025, when we plan to take the country to a brand new qualitative level of development. Today I was glad to learn that our Belarusian partners are ready to invest in the development of industrial cooperation with Zimbabwe."

According to Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Parkhomchik, both parties have already done a tremendous amount of work to develop cooperation. The trade between Belarus and Zimbabwe has increased sevenfold since 2018 and reached $39 million in January–November 2022.

"Belarus is fully involved in the modernization of agriculture in Zimbabwe. More than 2,000 tractors, harvesters and other agricultural equipment have been supplied within three years. We have launched a number of investment projects in agriculture, mining, and industrial cooperation. This is just the start of a big journey," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

"Belarus has something to offer its Zimbabwean partners in addition to the projects it is already implementing. These are cargo, passenger, road-building equipment, consumer goods, food, pharmaceutical products and many other things that can benefit the Zimbabwean people," Piotr Parkhomchik said.

Besides, according to him, Belarus is interested in the products manufactured in Zimbabwe: "As a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, Belarus is ready to become a bridge between Eurasia and Southern Africa. The economies of Belarus and Zimbabwe are complementary. We are confidently moving forward and gradually coming to a more modern and multidimensional economic relationship through trade."

Addressing the forum participants, the Chairman of the BelCCI Mikhael Miatlikov noted that the Belarusian business has a real interest and specific proposals for the development of cooperation and the implementation of joint projects with Zimbabwean partners. The delegation includes heads of 33 leading domestic organizations and enterprises. These are industrial flagships that are already successfully operating in the market of Zimbabwe and look forward to deepening cooperation, as well as enterprises of other areas of mutual interest: meat and dairy, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers of light industry goods, representatives of the logistics sector, education, and other areas. "They are full of hopes to find partners, establish long-term business contacts," the BelCCI Chairman said.

Mikhael Miatlikov also stressed the effectiveness of holding bilateral business events in recent years, the participation of Belarusian enterprises in exhibitions in Zimbabwe. He invited Zimbabwean business circles to visit Belarus and take part in major international business and exhibition projects to be held this year. "On behalf of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, I can assure you that we will do our best to provide Zimbabwean and Belarusian companies with the necessary support and assistance," he said.

Zimbabwe has benefited greatly from bilateral relations with Belarus in various sectors, said Mike Kamungeremu, President of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce. These include agriculture, mining, energy, infrastructure development, science, technology and innovation. "One of the goals of today's event is to expand the range of these industries in order to include such sectors as healthcare, food production, light and heavy industries, production and use of fertilizers, education," he said.

"The areas of cooperation between our countries are expanding and opening up new horizons that will benefit investors. In terms of economies, Belarus and Zimbabwe are not competitors. We can develop mutually beneficial trade and investment," Mike Kamungeremu underlined.

At the official opening ceremony of the business forum, a number of important documents were signed between the partners of Belarus and Zimbabwe. Lidselmash and Minsk Motor Works signed agreements with AFTRADE DMCC to sell their products in Zimbabwe. Gomselmash signed a memorandum of bilateral cooperation with its partners "to meet the demand of agricultural producers of the Republic of Zimbabwe for agricultural machinery".

Another memorandum of cooperation with AFTRADE DMCC was signed by Bobruiskagromash. The Bobruisk manufacturer plans to supply its machinery and spare parts to Zimbabwe.

A memorandum of strategic partnership was signed between Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ trademark) and AFTRADE DMCC as part of the promotion of BELARUS machinery in the Zimbabwe market. In addition, the Confederation of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (Employers) of Belarus and the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries signed a memorandum of cooperation.

During the presentation part of the event, the participants got acquainted with the investment opportunities of Zimbabwe, the tools to support Belarusian exports and the potential of Belarusian companies in the fields of industrial production, meat and dairy industries. Practical examples of successful Belarusian-Zimbabwean cooperation are considered.

The official part of the event was followed by B2B negotiations. In addition, a tasting of meat and dairy products of Belarusian companies was organized for the Zimbabwean guests of the forum.