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Business Reporter
Former Lafarge Zimbabwe chairman Mr Johnathan Shonhiwa has joined the Dangote Group. Mr Shonhiwa, who resigned from the cement manufacturer recently, was chairman for close to two years after having taken over from Mr Muchadeyi Masunda in January last year. Prior to that he was managing director of the cement manufacturer for six years, finance director for four and a half years and finance manager for Lafarge Cement Zambia for 2 years.

Sources close to the development said Mr Shonhiwa has already taken up his new role outside the country. “Mr Shoniwa has joined a pool of strategists working for the Dangote Group which is pursuing serious investment in Africa,” said one source. Efforts to get in touch with Mr Shonhiwa were fruitless at the time of going to print.

The Dangote Group’s owner billionaire Aliko Dangote was in the country last week and declared his readiness to invest billions of dollars in power generation, cement production and coal mining. Mr Dangote, who met with President Mugabe and Vice Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko indicated that the investments will start early next year if Government expedites logistical issues.

“You know there are so many permits and whatever, but the Government promised to accelerate (the process) and as soon as we get thing right we will move,” he said. “We are not here looking to invest we have already made up our mind to invest, so we are and we will invest,“ he said.

Already a six-member team of technocrats from the Dangote Group led by Dr Abdul Mukhtar is in the country to deal with the legal paperwork required for the investment deals. The Dangote group has been spreading its empire across Africa and just last month Zambian President Edgar Lungu inaugurated the Dangote Group’s 1,5 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) capacity cement plant valued at $400 million and the 30 megawatts coal plant that powers it in Ndola Zambia.