Zimbabwe Embassy Business Engagement in Chicago, Illinois: 21 – 24 May 2024

1. Ambassador of Zimbabwe H.E. T.T. Chifamba led a delegation for a broad-based engagement with the business community and other stakeholders in Illinois, Chicago from 21 to 24 May 2024. The delegation also included the Zimexpo Business Consortium.
2. Illinois is the 5th largest economy in the USA, with an estimated Gross Domestic Product of about US$1.0 trillion. The most dominant industries are food innovations and manufacturing. The State leads in industries such as advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, energy, electric vehicles, information technology, life sciences and transportation and logistics. Major imports of Illinois included minerals and value-added products such as automobiles, among others.

3. Illinois State was therefore an ideal choice for the business engagements because of its strategic importance to the interest of Zimbabwe. The State’s industrial base is very much aligned to the priority sectors of Zimbabwe’s economy as espoused in the National Development Strategy1:2021 – 2025. Already, the State of Illinois imports Zimbabwe’s nonferrous metals and other products. In addition, the enhanced agro-processing industries as well as the robust and modern production technology resonates well with the country’s industrial transformation aspirations.

4. The Ambassador and his delegation met the following stakeholders, amongst others;

• Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce;
• World Business Chicago;
• Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity;
• Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce; and
• Africa Global Chamber of Commerce.

5. The business engagements were concluded with a business dinner hosted by the Ambassador and co-sponsored by Zimexpo Business Consortium and were graced by Congressman Danny K. Davies, as the Guest of Honor.

6. The business engagements succeeded in opening up new opportunities for Zimbabwe in the following areas:

1. Accelerating commodity-based industrialization and repositioning Zimbabwe in the global value chains where trade would be dominated by intermediate and manufactured goods with increasing technological content, taking advantage of the country’s huge resource endowments.
2. Inclusion of Zimbabwe in the supply chain created in the State to support importation of goods from Africa.
3. Establishment of logistical hubs in Zimbabwe targeting SADC, COMESA and the Continental Free Trade Area, taking advantage of the strategic location of Zimbabwe and the rail, road and air connectivity with the rest of the continent.
4. Commitment to undertake a trade and investment mission to Zimbabwe in early 2025, led by the business community in the State.
5. Facilitation of the Zimbabwe’s manufacturing companies in the Illinois State’s innovation hubs that allows them to learn more about latest technology and innovation.