H.E. Mr Maxwell Ranga, Ambassador of the Republic of Zimbabwe to India

Please talk us through the recent high-level visits between India and Zimbabwe both by political and business leadership…

India and Zimbabwe have exchanged high-level visits in the past but unfortunately 2017 only witnessed high-level visits from Zimbabwe to India and only one visit from India to Zimbabwe. However, I am hopeful that following recent policy changes in Zimbabwe, we will see more visits by India to Zimbabwe in 2018. Visits of note in 2017 were that of Zimbabwe’s then two Vice presidents in January and March, the Minister of Industry and Commerce to attend the 12th Edition of the CII Exim Bank Conclave on India Africa Project Partnership, the Minister of Mines to Mumbai to attend the Gems and Jewellery Council Conference, the Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, and a business delegation to Mumbai and Gujarat in November.

CII sent a delegation to Victoria Falls to attend the Confederation of Zimbabwe (CZI) Annual Conference in August.

What is the presence of Indian businesses in Zimbabwe like at present?

The presence of Indian businesses is slowly growing but there is scope for more growth. Indian investors recently invested in the steel sector and related industries. Perhaps, if the Indian investors would pursue other forms of funding rather than rely mainly on Lines of credit from Exim Bank, they could raise their visibility in Zimbabwe.