By Agencies
A technical team from the Dangote Group is expected in the country today as part of the consummation of the global cooperation investment agreement covering key sectors signed between the company’s group chief executive officer, Mr Aliko Dangote, and Zimbabwe on Wednesday.
The team expected this afternoon comprises geologists, surveyors and engineers.
Mr Dangote held crucial talks with President Mnangagwa at State House on Wednesday before signing agreements with Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube.
During a Santner-Nedbank Golf Challenge reception in the capital last night, journalist-cum-business adviser Ms Josephine Mahachi confirmed the latest development.
Bard Santner, led by its chief executive officer Mr Senziwani Sikhosana, together with Ms Mahachi, were part of the team that helped to facilitate Mr Dangote’s visit to Zimbabwe.
Bard Santner is a Zimbabwean financial intermediary with expertise in multiple spheres focusing on asset management, corporate finance and wealth management services.
Ms Mahachi said Mr Dangote was satisfied with business prospects in Zimbabwe after he privately sent a team of researchers to explore opportunities in Zimbabwe.
“Aliko (Dangote) is quite happy with Zimbabwe, and tomorrow, again, the team that he has sent is arriving in the afternoon,” she said.
“There is no time to rest; just to show you who Aliko (Dangote) is. When he promises that he is doing something, it will be done.
“So, now it is time for Zimbabwe. Aliko Dangote and his group are finally coming, and there is no turning back. I think the Bard Santner team will also be updating you because his team arrives tomorrow — the geologists, the engineers; then the work commences,” said Ms Mahachi.
The Nigerian billionaire, she said, had made up his mind to invest in Zimbabwe after behind-the-scenes checks and engagements with stakeholders, including the Government.
“Before he came, he had sent researchers . . . We didn’t even know about it. We didn’t even meet them. They did their research …
“If you are writing to Aliko today that don’t come to Zimbabwe, it is (now) a done deal; he is coming.”
She also chronicled efforts made by her and Bard Santner to persuade Mr Dangote to return to Zimbabwe.
Speaking at the same event, Mr Sikhosana described the meeting between Mr Dangote and President Mnangagwa as a turning point for the country.
“It’s a turning point; a declaration that Zimbabwe is ready to rise, a sign that global capital is beginning to listen again, a reminder that when a purpose aligns with partnership, history tends to bend towards possibility,” he said.
The decision by the Dangote Group to invest in Zimbabwe, he added, showed that the country is open for business, consistent with President Mnangagwa’s mantra.
“The Dangote deal has spoken loud to the global community; very loud that Zimbabwe is open, it is stabilising (and) Zimbabwe is stepping into a new economic season.
“Bard Santner stands as the ambassador of that new season. A bridge through which global capital can enter with clarity, with structure and with confidence,” he said.
“We are convinced we have arrived at the moment. If we are united, this foreign investment will not just be a headline. Dangote is coming; it will be a legacy written in jobs, infrastructure, in exports, in industries and national pride.
“Dangote was pleased by the President. It is proof that it is possible when courage, clarity and competence meet in the same room. This is what I saw on Wednesday. Government was involved, the private sector was involved and we all met and there was alignment.”
Mr Dangote’s agreement with the Government marks a major step in strengthening economic ties between Zimbabwe and the Nigerian conglomerate, paving the way for large-scale investments aimed at boosting industrial growth and infrastructure development.
The agreement signed by Mr Dangote and Prof Ncube will also see the construction of an oil refinery and sub-regional pipeline.
The project, operated by Dangote Petroleum Refinery, will store and supply petrol and diesel from Nigeria’s refinery to Namibia and other Southern African countries such as Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The country is also set to benefit from fertiliser production by the Dangote Group, a move that will help boost agriculture production and significantly lower the price.
The group also plans to set up a cement manufacturing plant as well as a power plant.
-Zw Papers
