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Stephen Mpofu
IN his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York a few days ago as Head of State, President Emmerson Mnangagwa repeated his impassioned plea for the restoration of love lost between some in the international community and Zimbabwe, saying that this country was open for business and prepared to again play a meaningful role in global affairs.

The President’s campaign for Zimbabwe’s re-engagement with the international community has investment and aid as a combined rider along with litmus tests that must be passed by this country, and as by any other people, seeking international assistance for national economic development.

In the case of Zimbabwe, a hue and cry to the government for the “ease of doing business” has often been heard from the business community eager to reap handsome dividends from foreign investment, what with the economy just limping forward with on its back a heavy load of illegal Western sanctions intended to effect regime change and meant to reverse the land reform programme introduced by the Zanu-PF government to restore land stolen from blacks in this country by colonial invaders in the first place.

But while it is all very well for the government to lure foreign international capital inflows by making Zimbabwe’s investment climate magnetic, do Zimbabweans themselves by and large know the roles that they themselves must play to attract and retain foreign investment?

Of course, there are imperative investment litmus tests that Zimbabweans in their individual capacities and collectively as political parties and government employees must pass in order for potential investors to make a beeline to this country with spin offs from business deals accruing to both the investor and the investee and, cumulatively to the latter’s national economic development.

Peace and stability range as some of the key litmus tests that any nation must pass; otherwise no investor will bring capital where it is badly needed and then have it all going up in smoke as a result of political violence and instability in an investment destination.

For this reason political parties must rein in any hooligans or potential hooligans in their rank and file because no foreign investor, in particular, will take capital to a country under a violent party government.

This warning needs to sink in the heads of political leaders who seek to rise to power riding on the back of violence against their rivals.

Then, of course, comes the big one now wrecking havoc in many governments across the African continent as well as in some developing countries abroad.

CORRUPTION is the bane of good governance in many a nation due, in some cases, to insatiable hunger for wealth often inspired by the politics of poverty.

Investment is in all intents and purposes business with handsome returns for the investor who parts with hard-earned cash in the first place.

Now for the money to end up in the belly or bellies of fleet-fingered state or private company employees who have not shed a bead of sweat producing it is both untoward and ungodly.

What all this suggests is employers, both governmental and private, must crack whips on any corrupt creatures employed by them for the punishment to serve as a rude awakening to potential thieves on their payrolls.

Foreign investment has to be protected at all costs so that the investor gets a return on the money sunk into any foreign business in order to plough in more capital into the country in question.

Devolved Central Government power now poised for implementation in provincial and metropolitan councils in our country is one area that must be watched with an eagle’s eye to ensure that corrupt tendencies do not rear their ugly heads and sabotage the deputisation of state power meant to ensure that no area of Zimbabwe remains a Cinderella in social and economic development ad infitum.

Those appointed to head the provincial governments must be people of integrity whose patriotism and honesty in their dealings are beyond reproach.

Such characters will obviously make Zimbabwe a darling of the international community with positive roles given to the country to play in the global village.

When, not IF, all Zimbabweans walk with our heads raised high, the rest of the world will see the potential in us and engage us to play pivotal roles to help make the global village a better place to live for all of humanity.