AAG, an empowerment lobby group, said some businessmen in the country possessed the financial muscle and capacity to acquire and operate big companies.
This comes after it emerged that French company
Media reports have speculated that
In 2021 it the Chinese company acquired Lafarge Cement Malawi and a 75 percent stake in
However, AAG expressed reservations over apparent exclusion of locals in the bidding for the cement manufacturing company saying local businessmen and companies should not be overlooked.
The lobby group said indigenous businessman possessed the capacity to buy and operate companies as big as
AAG vice president Munyaradzi Kashambe said such deals must be done in a way that gives locals the chance to participate.
"... we have got a case of concern as AAG; we read (in the media) that
"Our concern is that this whole transaction has happened or is happening without our local participation, we are advocating for our local participation in deals of this nature," said Mr Kashambe.
He said some of the Zimbabwe companies had the financial wherewithal to assume proprietorship and successfully run big operations in the country.
"As Zimbabwean business people, I can rest assure you that we have the propensity and capacity to acquire Lafarge not on a grabbing basis but on a business basis win-win situation.
"The amount of money we hear this French company is asking for we have got it as Zimbabweans, we have got banks that we can engage, we have local business people who are rich who have got money to invest in this," he said.
Mr Kashambe cited the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Program (ERRP) as an example of the capacity of locals as they have been successfully participating in roads renewal projects.
"... so we want the acquiring process of Lafarge to involve locals, to be given a chance to buy and see if some of the indigenous business people are not able to purchase," he said.
AAG however said it had written to the responsible authorities including the President and
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