Gwanda businesspeople seek partnership

Published: 26 July 2017

A GROUP of businesspersons has championed an initiative to engage potential local and foreign partners in harnessing investment for Gwanda Town.

Operating under the Gwanda Investment and Economic Development Agency (GIEDA), chairman and one of the founder members, Mr Andrease Mathibela, said Gwanda Town had the potential of attracting increased investment and creating more job opportunities for thousands of people.

He said the organisation would launch its programme of action in Gwanda this weekend where different stakeholders will be engaged on the initiative.

"Gwanda must grow from a dormitory municipality to a global business hub and we have started a campaign towards that. Working with the council we will be identifying serious economic projects and help implement them," said Mr Mathibela.

"We are focusing on long term projects such as mining value chain, energy and water infrastructure and livestock. We need to seriously develop these concepts, prepare project proposals and seek funding from institutions and stock markets. We are prepared to go knocking everywhere even in our neighbouring countries."

Mr Mathibela said theirs was a non-political initiative adding that they were keen to work with the Government and win its confidence and that of other stakeholders in transforming Gwanda in line with the country's policies.

He said the Gwanda initiative was part of the broader economic development drive by the business community in the region under the Matabeleland Business Initiatives Trust, which seeks to harness opportunities along the Beitbridge/Victoria Falls corridor.

"We will launch the Gwanda project on the 29th of July (Saturday) as a pioneer initiative that will cascade to other towns along the corridor. Our drive is to promote economic development and growth through industrialisation," said Mr Mathibela.

"We want to promote local beneficiation of the region's rich resources, especially gold. As such, we want people who are innovative and have passion and interest for development of the region. We would like everybody to have a buy-in in the project. We need to be proactive as a people and desist from being cry babies and complaining about marginalisation when we can do things by ourselves."

He said Gwanda, for instance, could leverage on the livestock production strength to establish vibrant beef processing businesses and gold processing centres for its numerous mines.

"We even have a vision of a Technopark village that will train students and equip them with skills to utilise available resources profitably. This initiative is not exclusive, anyone can join us," said Mr Mathibela.
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