INDUSTRY and commerce minister Mike Bimha says Zimbabwe is ‘ready for investment’ and it is only ‘prudent’ to welcome on board British businesses and Zimbabweans based in the UK as means to revive the country’s ailing economy.
Bimha was speaking at the Zimbabwe Trade and Investment Forum which was held in London this week.
The minister said Zimbabweans are “hospitable” and government was going to offer a “safe and secure environment to do business and pleasure”.
Organised by the CMG media group, the forum was aimed at addressing Zimbabwe’s “investment gap while also deepening economic cooperation with the United Kingdom for mutual benefit”.
Bimha admitted that Zimbabwe has been “failing to attract significant Foreign Direct Investment since 2009 while neighbours such as South Africa and Zambia enjoyed the lion’s share of inflows into the SADC region”.
He said last year, Zimbabwe recorded inflows of $349 million.
The minister added that Zimbabwe “has been ranked low on ease of doing business although there is a push in Government to address concerns raised by potential investors”.
“Foreign Direct Investment has, however, remained subdued because of perceived country risk,” he said.

Togetherness … Minister Mike Bimha (Black suit) with UK-based business people