ZANU PF Members of Parliament are keen to push through a new agreement aimed at “protecting and securing” Belarusian investments in Zimbabwe, which is currently being debated in Parliament.
Although President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed the deal back in 2023, it still needs Parliament’s official approval before it can come into force.
The motion was brought forward by Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sheila Chikomo, who said the agreement, formally known as the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments, aims to create fair and favourable conditions for both countries.
She said the deal will encourage more investment by boosting cooperation between private businesses in Zimbabwe and Belarus, ultimately helping both economies make better use of resources.
However, opposition MPs from the CCC argued that the agreement is skewed in favour of Belarus and not in Zimbabwe’s best interest.
Still, ZANU PF MPs stood their ground. Nyanga South MP Supa Mandiwanzira described the agreement as a “win-win,” saying it’s important to have such arrangements in place to protect investors from both sides. He said:
This agreement protects Belarusians who are investing in our country. It also protects Zimbabweans who are going to invest in Belarus.
The reason I just demonstrated this conversation (with potential investors), yesterday is to show that trade is not a one-way.
In fact, what we should be doing as Honourable members is to acknowledge the good job that the Ministry Foreign Affairs and International Trade is doing to create these platforms for business people to go and engage with other countries.
Therefore, we should go to constituencies and begin to say, by the way, are you aware that Belarus has a
population of just under 10 million people.Their GDP is over US$70bn. Are you aware that they export US$2bn worth of fertilisers every year?
Could we in our constituencies or provinces benefit from that from Belarus? That is what we should be doing as Members of Parliament.
Dzivarasekwa MP Edwin Mushoriwa (CCC) criticised the Belarus investment deal, calling it one-sided and questioning why it had taken so long, since 2023, for Parliament to look into it.
He said the delay felt suspicious and argued that Zimbabwe was being handed a half-baked agreement, especially since no one had explained the actual trade relationship between the two countries. In his view, the deal was simply bad for Zimbabwe.
But Brian Mudumi, the ZANU PF MP for Masvingo North, hit back, saying Mushoriwa’s claims were not based on facts. Said Mudumi:
Mushoriwa is either lying or he is lost. His debate is not based on factual information but based on opinions. I pledge to share the report with him so that he can come up with factual information. There is nothing like US$23 trade imbalance between the two countries.
Trade between Zimbabwe and Belarus has been steadily growing, with both countries looking to strengthen ties, especially in key areas like agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and tourism.
On the farming front, Belarus has been a big player. Since 2019, it’s supplied Zimbabwe with over 2,000 high-tech tractors, 80 combine harvesters, and loads of other agricultural machinery to help boost local production.
In return, Zimbabwe is tapping into its natural edge by exporting organic superfoods like avocados, blueberries, and baobab, which are gaining serious popularity on the global market.
In mining and machinery, Belarus sends over things like haul trucks, public transport vehicles, and more heavy-duty industrial gear. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe ships back tobacco, cotton, leather products, and fresh produce.
More: Business Times
They be ‘benefitting’