(HERALD) MoU vital for Zim, Congo business
MoU vital for Zim, Congo businessBy Walter Muchinguri
THE signing of a memorandum of understanding by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce and the Republic of Congo’s Confederation of Employers Confederation and Chamber of Commerce should be viewed as a magnificent opportunity for local businesses.
While the MoU is devoid of the necessary government-to-government backing it was refreshing to note the importance which the presidents of the respective organisations placed on the MoU. Congo depends mostly on imports for its basic commodities, among them beef.
This presents a golden opportunity for locals to tap into that market as the quality of the country’s beef is revered the world over. A number of key issues were raised by the three presidents in their speeches preceding the signing ceremony.
CZI president Mr Callisto Jokonya stressed the need for Zimbabweans to be risk takers, the absence of which has been the major handicap for Zimbabwean business people for a long time now.
He urged Zimbabweans to go out and explore the Congolese market which, he said, was cash rich and could open the doors to the vast central African region whose population is estimated at more than 130 million.
Mr Jokonya was quick to mention that language differences between Zimbabwe and the Congo should not constitute a barrier to trade as French was taught at some schools and tertiary collages.
Analysts believe that the issues raised by the CZI president are valid and should spur people into action.
"The mere fact that there is that commitment by the Congo Brazzaville Confederation of Employers Confederation and Chamber of Commerce to send a delegation to Zimbabwe, moreso a whole president and vice-president, should not be taken lightly but deserves follow-up.
"It is now incumbent upon our businesses to stand up and be counted, as it were, because the Congolese have extended an olive branch to us.
"Even in the absence of a government-to-government agreement it does us no harm to explore the opportunities that exist in that market and obviously the CZI and ZNCC should take the lead in this regard," said one analyst.
Mr Jokonya also raised another pertinent issue when he indicated that CZI was looking for reciprocity in trade and hinted that a Zimbabwean delegation would be visiting Congo Brazzaville in January or February next year.
His comments were echoed by ZNCC president Mrs Marah Hativagone who reiterated the same point.
She also talked about the need for African countries to increase trade among themselves as brothers.
The president of Congo Brazzaville’s Confederation of Employers Confederation and vice-president of that country’s Chamber of Commerce, Dr Galessamy Ibombot, described Zimbabweans as brothers who were welcome to invest in Congo Brazzaville.
Dr Ibombot said his goal in coming to Harare was to lure Zimbabweans to visit his country and explore business opportunities since they were lagging behind other foreign nationals who were already doing business in his country.
Oil also came up for discussion during the signing ceremony with the general secretary of Congo Brazzaville’s Confederation of Employers Confederation, Mr Romuald Endzandza, indicating his country would not have problems meeting Zimbabwe’s needs once the necessary agreements and logistics were in place.
Analysts described this as a positive development that needed to be followed up as a matter of urgency.
"Here we have a situation where the Congolese are looking for expertise from us and they have something that we desperately need in this country.
"Doing business with them will not only cement our relationship with them, but it will certainly open up new avenues for us because we can use our exports to leverage fuel supplies to the country," said another analyst.
Labels: CONGO BRAZZAVILLE, TRADE, ZIMBABWE
posted by MrK @ 9:20 AM
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