Land invasions scare Chinese investors
Sunday, 17 July 2011 12:29
BY NDAMU SANDU
GOVERNMENT has frustrated a Chinese investor interested in a pulp and paper
project in Manicaland after failing to provide assurance that forest
plantations would not be invaded, a business executive said on Tuesday.
Such an investment would have brought relief to the newspaper industry which
is importing newsprint following the closure of the sole local provider,
Mutare Board and Paper Mills.
Joseph Kanyekanye, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) president
said China Development Fund wanted to invest US$110 million in the project.
“What they (China Development Fund) require for that project to go through
is assurance from the state that they will not be invasions of forest
plantations,” Kanyekanye said.
“They came here, I went around with them myself; I tried to seek those
assurances myself on their behalf. I failed to secure that.”
He said government must make written undertakings that there will not be
invasions in forest plantations owned by private and state- owned companies.
“Government must make a commitment that they will remove everyone who is on
those plantations,” the CZI boss said.
The frustration of the Chinese investor is a slap in the face of government’s
efforts to lure investment into the country to help rebuild the economy.
The economy is expected to achieve growth for the third successive year in
2011 after a decade of recession.
Investment has been identified as an engine to drive the growth targets.
According to the Medium Term Plan unveiled two weeks ago, government wants
investment to contribute 20% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2015
from the current 4%.
Based on the need to attract foreign investment, government has simplified
procedures for investors interested in Zimbabwe through the one-stop shop.
The failure to provide assurance to the Chinese investors is also a slap in
the face of government’s “Look East” policy adopted seven years ago.
Zimbabwe “looked East” after Western countries tightened their screws on the
country citing human rights and democracy deficiencies.
China is spreading its tentacles across the continent with its governance
neutral approach in its bid to get resources to feed its expanding economy.
Kanyekanye believes if the assurance is there, the proposed pulp and paper
project in Manicaland would start.
“I know them, I know where they are. We can bring them.”