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RBZ Governor Dr. John Mangudya

Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Reporter—
A Belarus delegation arrived in the country yesterday to meet President Mugabe over the implementation of $150 million investment deals that will see Zimbabwe receiving an assortment of machinery and equipment for mining, construction and agriculture early next year. The deal is set to boost the country’s economic blueprint, Zim-Asset’s value-addition and beneficiation, food security and nutrition and Infrastructure and utilities clusters.

Zimbabwe has also signed a number of mega deals with China and Russia that are at different levels of implementation. The Belarusian envoy General Viktor Sheiman, who is the administrator of the affairs of the President of the Republic of Belarus, yesterday met Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa at his Munhumutapa offices ahead of the official briefing to President Mugabe, which is set for today.

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The meeting was attended by Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made, Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa, Reserve Bank Governor Dr John Mangudya, Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mrs Virginia Mabhiza and some lawyers for the parties.

Speaking after the meeting, VP Mnangagwa, said the Belarusian envoy’s visit was a follow up on the mega deals signed by the two countries in July this year. “We had a meeting with General Sheiman who came here representing the President of Belarus. “He is here to implement the investment deals signed in July when I went to Belarus.

“The President is coming back tonight and General Sheiman will meet him and tell him what he has. “He is an envoy to the President and they will discuss the matters when they meet,” he said. VP Mnangagwa in July signed agreements worth $150 million to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.

Gen Sheiman said Belarus was committed to assisting Zimbabwe in acquiring machinery and equipment to boost the mining, construction and agriculture sectors. “Vice President Mnangagwa visited Belarus in July and we discussed a lot of issues of cooperation between Zimbabwe and Belarus and we distinguished some important ones and we are now following up on our commitments.

“We want to assist in the provision of mining equipment, quarry equipment, trucks, agricultural equipment like tractors and others. “We are prepared to work to together in processing agricultural products, working together in the field of construction of roads, houses and bridges,” he said. Dr Mangudya said he was happy with the progress made so far and that according to the parties’ agreed timelines, Zimbabwe was likely to start receiving machinery and equipment by early January 2016.

“We are happy with the progress made so far. “The timeframe set is that we hope to see the equipment coming to Zimbabwe starting early January going towards March. I can say in the first quarter of next year, we will receive the equipment. “The financing side has been done and everything is in order,” said Dr Mangudya.