Mlondolozi Ndlovu

If the ZANU PF government truly says they are Pan- Africanists who believe in the ideals of ‘African solutions for African problems’, then they must utilize the recent visit by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote to their full potential.

Zimbabwe is in dire need of investment and if Dangote’s deal comes to fruition this will not only boast government in terms of revenues from taxes but also provide the much-needed employment to the thousands of desperate Zimbabweans.

The deal by Dangote will also go a long way in as far as creating confidence for other investors from all over Africa to invest in Zimbabwe.

It is a clear message that despite all the economic hardships we are facing as a nation there is light at the end of the tunnel!
Elsewhere in the NewsDay of 3 September 2015, we read that an African conglomerate, Bakhresa Group of Tanzania have been given the nod to take over blue ribbon.

If such initiatives of allowing Africans begin to yield fruits they will truly save as examples that African solutions to African problems are possible!

Speaking soon after meeting the President Dangote said that he was ready to invest on millions in the country and was quick to point out that it was now left to the government to speed up the process.

Therefore our government must with urgency come out clearly on the indigenization and economic empowerment laws that are hampering investment in the country.

Policy inconsistences will always stall such big deals and as such the government must be clear on policy proclamations especially in as far as indeginisation in concerned.

Speaking a day before the arrival of Dangote the Minister of Youth, Mushowe said that the government was not going to apply a sector-by-sector implementation to the indigenization laws.

This is in line with what the Vice President Mnangagwa has said several times that Zimbabwe desperately needs investment and as such there is need to revise the law in order to attract investors.

Zimbabweans further hope that if the Dangote deal is to be quickly implemented the authorities curb corruption that has badly affected such deals before.

The President last year revealed that certain Ministers had stalled a deal worth billions after demanding that the investor give them 10 million bribe so that they could facilitate this deal.

Such issues, which unnecessarily hinder the much-needed capital injection into the economy, must stop forthwith and government must move towards economic acceleration.

To the President, his Ministers and various top government officials in the upper echelons of power we say, there is no better time like this to allow investment into the country, enough is enough the suffering must come to an end.

Let the job begin!