The Sunday News
Harare Bureau
Zimbabweans living in the United Kingdom have submitted at least 117 applications for farmland, as the diaspora community angles for opportunities in the agriculture sector.
Zimbabwe’s Embassy in the United Kingdom has been assisting locals in that country to invest in various sectors of the economy. The UK Diaspora Agriculture Engagement Cluster registered interest in A2 farms after a land audit identified land for distribution in various provinces.
In a 2020 Independence commemorations message for Zimbabweans in the diaspora, Zanu-PF secretary for commissariat Cde Victor Matemadanda urged the nationals to take up land and contribute towards economic recovery.
“Get organised, communicate to Government and benefit from land reform. The land audit has been completed. Land is available and I encourage you to make efforts to benefit from the last redistribution. The major heritage is to own land and it is land that marks the basis of development.”
There are also diasporans eyeing investments in health, mining, finance, infrastructure, sports, arts, education and tourism sectors. Last year, the clusters mobilised resources to assist Cyclone Idai victims.
Zanu-PF UK branch chairperson and deputy chair of the clusters, Cde Marshall Gore, yesterday said the call for farmland applications had yielded positive interest from Zimbabweans in the UK.
“Zimbabwe boasts of a relatively strong human capital base, albeit scattered around the world. The country is yet to leverage this core competence to develop local expertise in high value-added services such as strategy consulting, complex financial advisory, economic research and thought leadership, among others. These skills are critical success factors and a national asset in the dynamic information age.”
Cde Gore said the Diaspora Agricultural Engagement Cluster was led by Cde George Nhera.
