Zim-Britain ties continue to thaw

Tendai Foto

Bilateral ties between Zimbabwe and Britain continue to improve after years of frosty relations under former president Robert Mugabe, with business people in the Southern African country eyeing the UK market.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Dr Sibusiso Moyo urged Zimbabwean businessmen to take advantage of Harare’s re-engagement with London and exploit business opportunities created.

Speaking at a Zimtrade breakfast meeting in Harare Thursday, Dr Moyo said the restoration of relations would improve trade between the two countries.

The remarks by the Minister came after exporters under the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, CZI and Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, ZNCC said they were facing various challenges including access to markets.

Exporters said the rise in production costs caused by load shedding was one of the major challenges, with companies using alternative sources of energy such as generators which are expensive.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has expressed its willingness to re-engage the international community and to mend fractured relations with the West.