Business Reporter
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday wrapped up a five-day working visit to Japan, during which he headlined Zimbabwe’s National Day at the World Expo 2025 and led several high-level engagements aimed at deepening bilateral ties and attracting investment.
The President’s visit centred on promoting Zimbabwe as an investment destination and strengthening diplomatic and economic co-operation with Japan.
He led the Zimbabwean delegation at the inaugural Zimbabwe-Japan Business Forum, where three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in the areas of tourism, mining and manufacturing.
Addressing Japanese investors at the forum, President Mnangagwa declared: “Zimbabwe is open for business; open to investment; open to trade; open to innovation; open to tourism and partnerships which are Beyond Limits.”
During his stay, the President also toured the Zimbabwe Pavilion at the World Expo, where the country showcased its rich cultural heritage, tourism potential and economic development initiatives using modern immersive technologies such as 3D displays and virtual reality.
As part of his official engagements, President Mnangagwa met with the leadership of the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) to discuss expanding co-operation in sustainable agriculture and infrastructure development.
The discussions focused on enhancing Zimbabwe’s agricultural productivity and boosting exports, as well as the continued support for infrastructure projects, including roads.
The Zimbabwean delegation also held a strategic meeting with representatives from Toyota Tsusho Corporation.
The Japanese firm expressed its intention to expand operations in Zimbabwe by upgrading Toyota vehicles used for public transport and supplying fully equipped ambulances.
Government urged the company to further invest in Zimbabwe, highlighting recent reforms aimed at creating a more investor-friendly environment.
The President’s visit also forms part of preparations for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), a major international summit to be held in Japan next month.
Led by the Japanese government, TICAD focuses on promoting Africa’s development through high-level dialogue and strategic partnerships.
In an interview, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube, who was part of the President’s delegation, said they had constructive conversations with Toyota.
“We want to expand their footprint into Zimbabwe. So we asked them to even examine our new policy of assembling semi-knockdown kits in Zimbabwe to create jobs.
“Is it enough that we said there are no duties? Should we do more to encourage them to invest? So we spoke to investors directly, and I feel that conversation went a long way to understanding them,” he said.
Prof Ncube said they met several other investors.
“We had a business engagement session that also was well appreciated by investors. I really feel that when it comes to diplomacy, strategic engagement, driving investor promotion and trade promotion, the participation at the Expo has exceeded expectations.”
The President also met Governor Ichimi Katsuyuki of Mie Prefecture, a major tourist destination in the Kansai region, with existing trade links to Zimbabwe through imports of petalite, a key mineral used in Japanese ceramics.
Discussions included opportunities for value addition, such as processing petalite into lithium sulphate for battery-grade products.
Reflecting on the visit, Prof Ncube described Zimbabwe’s participation at the Expo as a resounding success that surpassed expectations.
“Participation by Zimbabwe in this Expo has really yielded results that are above expectations in advancing diplomacy and strengthening our relations with Japan,” he said.
“Japan is very unique among countries that give donor funding to Africa. If you look at what JICA does, JICA is able to finance infrastructure.
“For instance, the Makuti-Chirundu route into Zambia, they have been financing the development of that road.
“That is very unique. We want to deepen those kinds of relations, apart from the normal diplomatic, political and investor relations. So this visit, this participation has deepened those aspects.”
Prof Ncube said Zimbabwe’s pavilion stood out at the Expo, drawing large crowds due to its combination of cultural heritage displays and cutting-edge technology.
“Besides, we really feel that our stand, our pavilion, was one of the best. It was well patronised. Even today, I went there, I found a queue. I was just trying to check what people were queuing for. They were queuing to see what we were offering, our curios, our artefacts, what we could show visually with that 3D screen. It worked very well,” he said.
“Also being able to visit Zimbabwe tourism sites using virtual reality technology. So that was pretty unique, and everyone appreciated that. If you look at, for example, our National Day, how it came across, how it was appreciated, the strong cultural tourism aspect was quite visible. We hope to see more tourists from Japan coming to Zimbabwe.”
Prof Ncube said the Government would rigorously follow up on all engagements made during the visit and continue fine-tuning investment policies to ensure they remain attractive to global investors.
“There should be follow-through in the various areas of interest, whether it’s tourism, business; those who are doing curios in terms of cultural tourism,” he said.
“There should be a follow-up from the various departments of Government and our private sector”.
The Minister said the country had set a new bar in terms of the quality of its presentation to the outside world.
“This is the minimum standard. We have to keep improving to make sure that we really put our best foot forward in advertising the country. But we need to follow up. Also, we should not frustrate investors when they come through. We should make it easier,” said Prof Ncube.
“If there is anything we need to fine-tune at ZIDA (Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency), for example, it is to facilitate investor interest in processing of applications and so forth.”
Zimbabwe’s participation at Expo 2025 Osaka is part of a broader strategy to strengthen international partnerships and accelerate economic transformation through trade, tourism and innovation.
Credit- Herald
