Gujarat and Zimbabwe engaged in discussions regarding cooperation in the small and medium enterprise sector. The meeting took place between Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and a Zimbabwean delegation in Gandhinagar. The delegation, led by Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Maldives, Stella Nkomo, along with Deputy Minister for Industry and Commerce, Rajendra Kumar Modi, visited Gujarat for the 12th Trade Show organized by the Saurashtra Trade and Industry Association in Ahmedabad.
Both sides explored avenues for Zimbabwe’s Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector to benefit from Gujarat’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) ecosystem during the courtesy meeting. Discussions centered on collaboration in skill development, training programs, and strengthening institutional capacities. The Ambassador and the Deputy Minister highlighted Gujarat’s status as a manufacturing and automobile hub, evolving as a semiconductor hub, and maintaining a robust MSME base.
Gujarat’s Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed the state’s willingness to explore practical cooperation opportunities. He mentioned potential areas for enhancing SME capabilities, structured skill development initiatives, and training partnerships to enhance technical competencies. The delegation also expressed interest in expanding collaborations in the education sector and noted that Zimbabwean police and security officials are pursuing advanced studies in security and cybercrime security at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar.
The Chief Minister invited Zimbabwe to participate in the upcoming Vibrant Summit-2027 and the next Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference to bolster economic ties further. In response, the Ambassador and Deputy Minister invited entrepreneurs from Gujarat’s MSME sector and state government officials to attend an SME exhibition scheduled in Zimbabwe in March. They emphasized that engaging with SME stakeholders and visiting industries would offer opportunities for technology-oriented development in Zimbabwe’s SME sector.
