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Africa Moyo Deputy News Editor
The African Development Bank (AfDB) continues to support Zimbabwe’s economic turnaround through the private sector and is keen on upgrading business and physical links between Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

This was said by Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Mozambique Douglas Nyikayaramba who has been working to implement the policy that Zimbabwe’s foreign representatives should drive transactional diplomacy to boost the economy.

Ambassador Nyikayaramba said AfDB country manager in Mozambique Mr Pietro Toigo said the bank was interested in rehabilitating Olivine Industries and other firms.

He added that there had been discussions with the AfDB on strategies of mobilising resources for the construction of a road to link Zimbabwe and Mozambique via the Sango Border Post, the road running beside the existing railway line between Maputo and Zimbabwe built in the 1950s, but the corridor never included a road link.

“The construction of this road will significantly facilitate connectivity by road between the two countries and enhance trade,” said Ambassador Nyikayaramba.

Recently, the Zimbabwe embassy hosted a ZimTrade delegation that was in Maputo to conduct a market survey of the Mozambican market.

ZimTrade is reportedly organising an inward trade mission to Zimbabwe with the objective of conscientising their counterparts on the production capacity and available potential.

Ambassador Nyikayaramba said he will continue to source investors for Zimbabwe and seek opportunities for companies here to explore opportunities in Mozambique, in line with the Second Republic’s demand for economic or transactional diplomacy to turnaround the country’s economic fortunes and create jobs and improve the peoples’ standards of living.

“Since it is a private sector-led economic growth and development, with the support of Government, the work of my diplomatic mission is to support the home country’s business sector.

“This includes promoting trade and inward and outward investment. Overall economic diplomacy is the process through which countries work at home and abroad to maximise their national gain in all economic fields including trade, investment and other economically beneficial exchanges,” he said.

Ambassador Nyikayaramba said it was pleasing to note that Mozambique President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi was keen to see strong business exchanges between the two countries.

He is also in dialogue with international cooperating partners explaining the new investment environment obtaining in the new dispensation.

The Ambassador has engaged with the President of the Mozambique Business Association and strategised on increasing trade between the two countries.

They looked at possibilities of joint ventures in investments that can be established in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.