GBC Supports Zimbabwe AAG in Furthering Engagement with Guangdong Business Community
Following the initial introduction with the Guangdong Hakka Union, the Global Business Council (GBC) extended its support to the Zimbabwe Affirmative Action Group (AAG) to pursue its engagement with the business community in Guangdong province of China.
It is worth noting that Guangdong is one of the richest provinces in China. It also boasts the highest exports of all provinces in China and hosts the Canton Fair twice yearly. The provincial economic powerhouse has also established the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone (OGFTZ) in Nigeria.
According to the Chinese Consul General Office in Lagos, Chinese #FDI into the Ogun-Guangdong and Lekki #FTZ have exceeded USD one billion so far. Nigeria is one of the largest markets in Africa with a population of 230 million and is known for its rich petroleum reserves.
Similarly, Mr Alfred Tawanda DOZVA pointed out that Zimbabwe is rich in mining resources, especially the #CriticalMinerals such as #Lithium and #Copper needed for the #EnergyTransition.
The population of Zimbabwe stands at around 17 million, but Zimbabwe has easy and preferred access the wider #SADC market. Although SADC may be slightly smaller than ECOWAS in terms of population, the SADC member states have a higher per capita #GDP. This means countries in Southern Africa tend to be wealthier than in West Africa, and thus enjoy a higher spending power.
As a matter of fact, Zimbabwe will be hosting the 7th SADC Industrialization Week in Harare from 28 July to 2 August 2024 in a bid to drive regional economic growth by focusing on Local Value Addition (#LVA) and the integration of Regional Value Chains (#RVC).
It is also worth noting that Zimbabwe sits right north of South Africa and right south of Zambia which are all linked via the North-South Corridor. Zimbabwe has Namibia and Angola on its western side and Mozambique and Tanzania on its eastern side, thus positioning Zimbabwe as a natural hub for Southern Africa region by virtue of the geography.
“During the meetings, I had the opportunity to highlight key investment prospects in Zimbabwe which are aligned with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s policy of re-engagement and economic revitalization. Sectors identified for collaboration included mining, agriculture, and construction.”
AAG Spokesperson Alfred Tawanda DOZVA
Furthermore, the AAG had working sessions with the Africa Guangdong Business Association (AGBA), the China-Africa Youth Federation (CAYF), Financial Development Research Society of Guangdong and Investment Promotion for Economic Development (IPED).
In addition, Mr Dozva entered into fruitful discussions with Mr Stephen Liu Jia, who has acted as the spokesperson and MC for the #FOCAC and #BRI Summits on several occasions. As a matter of fact, China will be hosting the 9th FOCAC Summit in Beijing towards the end of 2024. Through Mr Stephen Liu, Mr Dozva also had the honour to be introduced to Felisters Mutsakani and Natasha Papiwa Chivhunga of IPED who are deploying efforts in a similar direction.
Moreover, Mr Dozva has a working lunch session with the Africa Guangdong Business Association (AGBA) which was represented by Tracy Huo, Vice-Chairperson, and Nathanael Melkisedek Coulibaly, International Project Manager. The two sides agreed to share business information with a view to elicit investment opportunities and promote trade between Zimbabwe and Guangdong.
As part of the interactions, Mr Dozva also met with Mr Wang Bin, CEO of Dachan International Jewelry. The discussions revolved around diamond, gold and other gems available in Zimbabwe. Indeed, Zimbabwe is rich with precious stones such as diamond, emerald and amethyst, to name a few.
During the meeting, Mr Dozva reiterated his wish to hold a Guangdong-Zimbabwe Business Forum in the near future in collaboration with the Embassy of Zimbabwe in Beijing and the entrepreneurs in Guangdong. He is also willing to lead a delegation to Zimbabwe to further explore investment opportunities in situ.