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Business Editor

GOVERNMENT has kick-started preparations for the country’s participation at the global showcase, Expo 2025, to be held in Osaka, Japan in Kansai Province.

Mr Allan Majuru, the chief executive officer of ZimTrade has since been appointed as the country’s Commissioner General for Expo 2025 Osaka.

The six-month-long expo will be held from 13 April-13 October 2025, under the theme — “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”.

The theme of the expo is a clarion call on Zimbabwe to maximise its potential while leveraging on the opportunities arising from the interconnected world where synergies are the lynchpin of global society, Foreign Affairs and International Trade permanent secretary,

, said yesterday.

He was speaking during a Press briefing in Harare on the country’s preparations for the global expo, where he stressed the need for Zimbabwe to maximise its potential to grow its exports and lure more investments.

Despite the disruption of business accentuated by the Covid-19 pandemic since 2020, Zimbabwe is aggressively building its recovery momentum as it strives to achieve an upper middle-income status by 2030.

With Expo 2025 set to be held on Japan’s main island of Honshu, home to the country’s major cities and a citadel of cultural heritage sites among an array of other attractions that Japan offers, Dr Manzou said Zimbabwe was eagerly awaiting to exploit its opportunities.

He said the appointment of Mr Majuru was befitting as he brings in a wealth of experience to Expo 2025, accumulated from organising Zimbabwe’s international trade missions regionally and internationally, especially over the past five years.

“The Osaka 2025 Expo will bring together people from all over the world to share ideas, innovations, and experiences,” said Dr Manzou.

“Zimbabwe’s participation at Expo 2025 will provide an excellent opportunity for us to market our unlimited investment opportunities in agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing and technology.

“On the cultural front, we will also showcase our rich heritage. This includes our diversity in terms of culture, dress, our traditional foods, which have become an essential element to reassert our identity and have also become integral in our cuisine.”

Zimbabwe also expects to ride on the global platform to market its unlimited tourist attractions, apart from major drawcard, the majestic Victoria Falls.

“We also showcase the hugely-in-demand Zimbabwean workforce equally driving key industries across the globe. As has become the tradition, Government will also ensure that it will, utilise this event and engage with its Diaspora and all collaborating stakeholders,” said Dr Manzou.

“In line with our foreign policy thrust, as a ‘Friend to all, enemy to none,’ Zimbabwe will forge new partnerships and attract investment including from new frontiers at Expo 2025, in line with the Government’s approach over the past five years.”

Through engagement, re-engagement and re-affirmation, Dr Manzou said Zimbabwe’s primary objective was to improve relations, and foster economic growth, with the main aim to improve the living standards of its citizens.

“Expo 2025 is an integral platform for our great nation to advance our diplomatic agenda to new heights,” he said.

“Our participation at the Expo 2025 will enable us to learn from other countries and gain crucial insights into new technologies, products and services vital in our efforts to improve our destination’s competitiveness in line with the ease of doing business reforms, enunciated by President Mnangagwa.”

To ensure ‘no one and no place is left behind,’ Dr Manzou said Government will work closely with all partners at home and abroad to ensure Zimbabwe’s participation in the Osaka 2025 Expo is a tremendous success, building on the groundbreaking trajectory set by Expo 2020 Dubai.

Through our participation at Expo 2020 Dubai, Zimbabwe garnered several milestones, which include the signing of a US$250 million joint venture agreement between ARDA and the NV Group of India to establish a brewery in Masvingo. Another milestone was the MoU between the Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement and the Private Office of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Faisal Al- Qassimi, among several other deals initiated during the expo, which are under discussion with respective ministries and institutions.

As part of preparations for Expo 2025, Dr Manzou said the Government will reach out to all relevant stakeholders and Zimbabweans at home and abroad.

“I also implore all of us to work together to showcase our country’s best attributes and strengthen our international partnerships,” he said.