By Archford Chirimudombo
Harare, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwean companies seeking to expand their presence in South Africa have an opportunity to engage potential buyers, distributors and investors at the South Africa–Zimbabwe Business Forum in Pretoria on Friday.
The forum will be held on the sidelines of the South Africa–Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission under the theme: ‘Catalysing Economic Resilience: Strategic Trade and Investment Partnerships for the Future.’
It will bring together businesses, investors, government institutions and trade-support organisations from both countries to explore opportunities for increased trade, investment and industrial cooperation.
The country’s trade promotion body, ZimTrade said the forum comes at a time when Zimbabwe is looking to deepen its commercial ties with South Africa, one of its most important trading partners.
South Africa is the country’s largest source of imports.
“South Africa remains one of Zimbabwe’s most important trading partners and its largest source of imports. The two countries are connected by established road and rail networks, longstanding commercial relationships and supply chains spanning agriculture, mining, manufacturing and other productive sectors.
“These existing linkages provide a strong base from which businesses can pursue new opportunities. A major component of the forum will be business-to-business engagements, allowing Zimbabwean companies to interact directly with South African exporters, investors and potential commercial partners,” ZimTrade said in a statement.
It said the established links between businesses in the two countries have helped sustain supply chains in agriculture, mining, manufacturing and other productive sectors, creating a foundation for further growth in bilateral trade and investment.
“The forum comes as Zimbabwe seeks to diversify and strengthen its export markets, with opportunities emerging to reposition the bilateral relationship towards greater value addition, industrial integration and stronger business-to-business linkages,” ZimTrade added.
The forum also supports efforts by the two governments to promote regional integration and industrialisation through frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Southern African Development Community.
Zimbabwe and South Africa have maintained longstanding economic and commercial relations, with the two countries’ interconnected markets and supply chains continuing to contribute to trade, investment and broader regional economic development.
The business forum is expected to provide Zimbabwean companies with a platform to identify new markets, forge strategic partnerships and attract investment while strengthening the country’s participation in regional value chains.
New Ziana
