Zimbabwe is open for business but citizens must benefit first – Mnangagwa

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa says while the country is open to the world for business, Zimbabwean citizens should be the first to benefit from its economic growth.

Posting on his twitter handle, Mnangagwo, who went on a world-wide tour soon after assuming office in November 2017 proclaiming that his country was open for business, said he was delighted to see that Zimbabwean farmers were partnering with Nespresso to revive the nation’s coffee industry.

Nepresso is part of one of the world’s biggest food companies, Nestle. It announced three years ago that it was entering into a partnership with 400 smallholder Zimbabwean farmers to increase the country’s coffee production over the next five years.

“We are honoured to partner with Nespresso and the farmers of Zimbabwe to help transform one of the country’s most promising sectors and share more of its incredible coffee with the world,” said TechnoServe president William Warshauer.

TechnoServe is an international non-profit organisation specialising in business solutions to poverty and is working with Nespresso to train farmers to revive their production through climate-smart, sustainable farming practices.

“In line with TechnoServe’s market-centered approach to reducing poverty, we know that better coffee will lead to better incomes, better lives, and better futures for the hardworking people of Zimbabwe,” Warshauer said.

There is increasing debate about whether organisations that claim to be working on reducing poverty are actually serving the people they claim to be helping or the multi-national companies that sponsor them like Nestle.

Zimbabwe’s legislators raised the same concern last month when Movement for Democratic Change vice-president Thokozani Khupe introduced a motion on domestic resource mobilisation to revive the country’s economy.

Several legislators warned the government against entering into business deals that did not benefit Zimbabwean people in general.

Here is what the MPs said:

Thokozani Khupe – Why Zimbabweans are poor- Khupe

Gabuza Joel Gabbuza – With just 10 elephants Zimbabwe can establish how much methane gas Lupane has – MP

Daniel Molokela-Tsiye – Speed up development of Lupane gas project so that people of Matebeleland North can feel they are part of Zimbabwe-MP

Tonderayi Moyo – Zimbabwe legislator says there is economic growth but no development in South Africa- we don’t want that

Lwazi Sibanda- MP says natural resources from Matebeleland North should not benefit people from other provinces

MP says natural resources from Matebeleland North should not benefit people from other provinces

James Chidakwa – Zimbabwe must stop illicit flows first to benefit from its natural resources- MP

Pupurai Togarepi – We need proper due diligence otherwise we will sell our natural resources for a song- MP warns

Robson Nyathi- Lupane gas must benefit Zimbabwe not just Matebeleland North- Shurugwi MP says

Nomvula Mguni- Zimbabwe has enough gas reserves to last 200 years, so why not take advantage-MP says

Oscar Gorerino – Zimbabwe can earn US$12 billion from one mine so let us start small – MP says

Illos Nyoni- Development of Lupane gas can help Zimbabwe reduce donor dependency, repay external debt

Tapiwa Mashakada – Zimbabwe could be an industrialised country by 2030 if it does its maths right says former Economic Planning Minister

https://insiderzim.com/zimbabwe-could-be-an-industrialised-country-by-2030-if-it-does-its-maths-right-says-former-economic-planning-minister/

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