Astro Mobile has resolved to shun Zimbabwe for Zambia after failing to get support to set up a manufacturing plant. The move is projected to rob Zimbabwe an opportunity to have about US$100 million worth of exports annually.
A Zimbabwean telecoms engineer based in Lusaka, Joseph Zulu said:
The move by the government to put spanners in Astro Mobile’s quest to set up a first-of-its kind in Africa manufacturing plant in the country is contrary to the mantra of ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ and the Buy Zimbabwe Campaign that seeks to empower locals.
When I heard that Astro Mobile had been given the green-light to set up a plant here in Lusaka Zambia, I told myself that Zimbabwe had unwittingly allowed a golden opportunity to skip them. We have serious foreign currency challenges in our country and the expectation would be for the authorities to embrace locals with a vision of industrialising the country like Mr. Munyaradzi Gwatidzo, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Astro Mobile. Alas, to my surprise, I heard the entrepreneur was not given any meaningful support by the government for the last two-and-a-half years.
This is despite the fact that the company had brought the equipment into the country.
I tried my best to assist him, but it’s still work in progress.
More: iHarare
If a private company wants to set up a manufacturing plant, one would assume the company has the resources to do so.
What support does an industrialist wishing to industrialise wants from the Govt? If the company was ready in all respects, they would have set up the plant. From the comments, it clearly shows that the company had not done sufficient homework, and resorts to the “dei Hurumende’ mantra. It remains to be seen what support the Govt of Zambia will extend, that will be more than that which could not be obtained in Zimbabwe. Good luck