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Pride Mahlangu Business Reporter
Export promotion agency, ZimTrade, has completed its market surveys in northern Angola and southern Namibia, which have shown that local companies can leverage on the high quality of their products and the upgraded regional relations to penetrate the global market.

ZimTrade said the thriving Angolan economy and a growing middle-class with disposable income, coupled with good political relations between Harare and Luanda presented huge export opportunities for Zimbabwean businesses.

“Given Zimbabwe’s capacity to produce high-quality products, there is scope to penetrate Angola’s market and increase exports into that country,” it said in an update.

ZimTrade said Angola was a major importer of most consumer goods and utilities and that the supply chain was dominated by Portugal, Brazil, China and South Africa.

The countries had established niche markets, which to some extent were difficult to penetrate.

“Angola’s import structure offers further opportunities for businesses that can supply cereals, products of the milling industry, pharmaceutical products, animal or vegetable oils, dairy products, poultry products, sugar and sugar confectionery, meat and edible offal, and textile and clothing products,” said ZimTrade.

It said global exports to Angola in 2018 amounted to US$16,39 billion and were dominated by products such as mineral fuels, machinery and mechanical appliances, electrical machinery and equipment, vehicles and iron and steel.

On the other hand, ZimTrade said Namibia’s economic activities presented vast options to supply several products and services in the mining, tourism, fishing, manufacturing and agriculture sectors.

“The upgraded Zimbabwe-Namibia relations from a Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation to Bi-National Commission opens avenues that local exporters should take advantage of to increase exports,” said the trade agency.

“Currently, exports to Namibia, which totalled US$8,29 billion in 2018, were heavily dominated by South African businesses, hence Zimbabwean  companies must strategically position themselves for niche markets if they are to become successful.”

Namibia’s import structure was similar to that of Angola, thus offering local companies opportunities to supply a wide range of products and services.

ZimTrade recently conducted another market survey in Malawi, which revealed that the country had huge potential for exporters, which demanded that local producers up their game.

The trade agency has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Netherlands-based volunteer organisation PUM, expected to see successful implementation of the Best Model Farm Project meant to grow horticultural exports from small-scale farmers in  Zimbabwe.