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Minister of Industry and Commerce Mike Bimha

Nduduzo Tshuma Senior Political Reporter
THE Chronicle on Wednesday hosts a major breakfast meeting where two government ministers will outline potential benefits to the southern region from deals brokered with China by President Robert Mugabe earlier this month.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Obert Mpofu and his Industry and Commerce counterpart Mike Bimha will speak at the meeting which follows last week’s oversubscribed breakfast indaba hosted by our sister paper, The Herald. At that event, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa unpacked the Zim-Sino agreements.

Chronicle Editor Mduduzi Mathuthu yesterday said Wednesday’s breakfast meeting, which will also be attended by half-a-dozen other ministers, “is quite historic in that it’s the first time that the newspaper is hosting such an event”.

He added: “But most importantly it seeks critical answers about Zimbabwe’s economic trajectory, coming just weeks after President Mugabe’s visit to China during which major agreements were signed covering mining as well as infrastructure development.

“Ministers Mpofu and Bimha – who travelled with the President to China – will outline just what benefits this visit will bring to the economy, in particular Bulawayo’s economy with special focus on industry and the road, rail and energy infrastructure.”

Mathuthu said Chronicle was looking forward to the interaction between the ministers, the business community and the wider public.
“There’s no question that when Bulawayo’s industries sneeze, the nation coughs. After all, Bulawayo is home to the productive industries, the railways and an important regional transport hub.

“Whilst the last decade has been harsh, we get a sense that we’re about to turn a corner and the ministers will outline just what’s around that corner,” he said.
“For us, we’re really proud that we can facilitate this important dialogue at this moment of our nation’s development, in the year that our newspaper is celebrating 120 years.”

Invitations have gone out to business leaders, community activists and the general public. Attendees must register in advance.
FBC chairman Herbert Nkala will be a moderator during the breakfast meeting, which will also feature mining, construction and engineering entrepreneur Jimmy Goddard and the United Refineries CEO and CZI president, Busisa Moyo.

Zimpapers is hosting interactive meetings to unpack the various deals signed between Zimbabwe and China during President Mugabe’s state visit to the Asian country.

A third meeting focused on mining and to be hosted by The Manica Post is scheduled for Mutare.
It will be followed by another to focus on tourism which will be held in Victoria Falls and facilitated by Zim Travel, another Zimpapers publication.

Zimbabwean industries have laboured under the debilitating weight of 14 years of United States and European Union sanctions which have also crippled the railways while burdening the failing road infrastructure.

Minister Chinamasa said last week that rehabilitating the road and rail networks was a key aspiration for the country’s much-vaunted economic roadmap — the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic. Transformation (Zim-Asset).