Zim seeks stronger trade ties with DRC

More than 15 Zimbabwean companies are in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on an outward seller mission organised by national trade development and promotion organisation, ZimTrade, to strengthen trade relations between the two countries.

The mission, which runs until Friday, complements the Government’s economic diplomacy efforts, which are targeted at unlocking economic benefits from

Zimbabwe’s good relations with countries on the continent and beyond.
Speaking during the official opening of the trade mission, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ambassador Johannes Tomana, said the relations between the two countries provided the basis for more productive business engagements.

“Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo enjoy strong political relations, which provide a good foundation for building even stronger economic relations.

“Both our countries are members of the SADC regional economic bloc providing a platform for companies to trade duty-free and quota-free on a reciprocal basis on qualifying products,” he said.

Ambassador Tomana also highlighted the need for a bilateral trade agreement between Zimbabwe and DRC, which will help the private sectors of the two countries to unlock new opportunities.

“Zimbabwe has also been pursuing a range of bilateral trade agreements with other countries in the region. These agreements have helped to open up new markets for Zimbabwean businesses and we believe that similar agreements between our two countries could help to foster greater
economic cooperation and growth,” said Amb Tomana.

The president of the DRC business federation (FEC) urged the private sector in the two countries to strengthen cooperation, riding on good political relations that exist between Zimbabwe and the DRC.

“There are many opportunities that we need to exploit as the private sector and it is time that we come together and build joint ventures in growing our industries like agriculture, tourism, transport, energy hotel and catering industry.

“It is clear that we can do more and develop these new opportunities faster when we come together,” he said.

Speaking during the same programme, ZimTrade chief executive, Allan Majuru, urged the private sector in both countries to take advantage of programmes implemented by the two Governments to promote business relations.

“Our Governments are creating strong platforms such as this one, designed to improve engagements among private sector players.

“I urge our companies to ensure they maximise on these programmes to establish partnerships that will help grow their business,” he said.

Mr Majuru said the series of trade missions into the DRC was an indication of the growing appetite for Zimbabwean products in the market.

“Over the past years we have been coming here, we have noted a growing interest by buyers to source from Zimbabwe, based on the quality our companies are offering.

“We are confident the engagements that will take place here will also help boost the visibility of Zimbabwean products in the DRC,” said Mr Majuru.

The repeated efforts to create platforms for engagements between Zimbabwean exporters and buyers in the DRC are bearing fruit as the demand for local products is growing in the market.

Buyer of processed foods in Lubumbashi, Jean Maleuba said the quality of Zimbabwean products is driving demand and will engage with more companies during the Mission.

“We have seen a rise in demand for Zimbabwean products in our shops, which our consumers are saying taste better and we are looking to engage more suppliers during this programme so that we increase our product portfolio,” said Mr Maleuba.

The participating Zimbabwean companies indicated the potential of the Outward Seller Mission in boosting their presence in the DRC.

Kefalos Cheese head of marketing, Pam Tairoodza, said the mission will help them understand the dynamics of the market, and confirmed the market prefers superior quality of Zimbabwean products.

“The significance of this trade mission to our business is vast, as it has given us an opportunity to better understand the intricacies of the DRC market and strategies on how to service it effectively.

“Potential buyers have commented on the high quality and superior taste of our products and we have received comments concerning logistics, route to market, and the landed prices of our products.

“There has been considerable interest in our products and our company from the business community in the DRC, and we are grateful that this trade mission has provided us with the opportunity to assess the market and form valuable networks,” said Ms Tairoodza.

Hems Africa Engineering regional manager, Maxton Makwangwala, also shared insights on the potential of the mission in unlocking access to the DRC market.

“This programme is an important instrument in our strategy as it allows us to better understand this particular market that we have identified as a huge potential market and we are hoping to create trust, generate meaningful relationships, and start getting some enquiries,” said Mr
Makwangwala.

The Zimbabwe outward trade mission to the DRC is part of ZimTrade’s efforts to strengthen Zimbabwe’s footprint on the continent.

The mission follows other programmes that have been undertaken this year on African markets, such as the recently concluded market survey of Nigeria.

An inward buyer mission was also recently held where buyers from Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, and Malawi visited local industries to appreciate Zimbabwe’s growing production capacity.

In the next few months, ZimTrade will also conduct a trade mission to Tete, Mozambique, and Windhoek, Namibia, as well as facilitate the participation of local companies at international trade fairs taking place in Zambia, Mozambique, and Botswana.

This year’s trade mission to the DRC expands into Kolwezi, where business engagements with participating companies have been arranged to improve their product penetration into the DRC.

Kolwezi is a mining town and the capital of the Lualaba Province of the DRC, about 300 kilometres from Lubumbashi.

Unlocking direct export opportunities in Kolwezi will boost earnings for local companies that have been supplying the market through Lubumbashi.-herald