HARARE – Surface Investments plans to set up a $7 million new solvent extraction plant to be operational early next year and will add $20 million annually to its current sales of over $40 million. Executive director Narottam Somani said the plant to be based in Chitungwiza will also process soya beans into soya flour….
HARARE – A election could be Zimbabwe’s answer to current economic woes that are largely due to policy uncertainty, a leading Harare-based economist says. Anthony Hawkins, a top Harare-based economist, said while the impact of elections on the country’s economy depends on the conduct, a peaceful and well represented polls could be a blessing for…
HARARE – Finance minister Tendai Biti says diamond leakages are expected to continue despite government recently appointing the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) to supervise all mining operations and stop irregularities. He recently told businessdaily, Zimra’s involvement could help to an extent, but not enough to plug the diamond looting. “It should help. I mean if…
HARARE – Strengthening auditing standards and efficacy of corporate boards, among other measures, could improve the medium-term outlook of Zimbabwe’s financial sector, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said. Damoni Kitabire, an economist with AfDB’s Zimbabwe office, said there is need for government to address protection of minority shareholders, prevalence of trade barriers and the issue…
HARARE – Indigenous banks could fail to mobiles resources and meet Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)’s new $100 million minimum capital by June 2014 as a result of their poor performance and macroeconomic instability, the African Development Bank (AfDB) says. “The factors that are likely to militate against raising new capital by banks include poor…
HARARE – A cocktail of new measures in the banking sector to be deliberated by Cabinet will see a complete overhaul of the Banking Act before year-end, Finance minister Tendai Biti said. Presenting the state of the economy address on Thursday, Biti said his ministry — which recently gazetted the amended Securities Act, Microfinance Bill…
HARARE – Expansion of Hwange Thermal Power Station (HPS) is stalling due to funding structure differences between the ministry of Finance and the potential Chinese investor. Tendai Biti, Finance minister, said funding for the expansion project was yet to be finalised as the Chinese government insisted on a buyer’s credit arrangement as opposed to Treasury’s…
HARARE – Divesified group Innscor Africa Limited (Innscor) plans to invest $50 million towards expansion of its footprint, chief executive Tom Brown said. Brown said approximately $38 million of the funds would be spent on its bakeries, fast food outlets, pork-processing business Colcom and some on refrigerator manufacturer — Capri. “We are going to continue…
HARARE – Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed sugar producer Tongaat Hullet’s 50,3 percent-owned Zimbabwean operation, Hippo Valley Estates (Hippo), says its Successful Rural Sugarcane Farming Community (Susco) programme is half-complete. “Seven thousand one hundred hectares have been ploughed out and replanted and this equates approximately to 47 percent of the total area that has been allocated to…
HARARE – Togo-based transnational banking group Ecobank says it remains open to new acquisition opportunities in Zimbabwe. “We have a flexible strategy, we don’t rule out anything. If an opportunity presents itself to acquire a bank, we will look at it,” said Arnold Ekpe, Ecobank group chief executive. “You might not know but as a…
