Global Alliance Partners gathering a big opportunity for Zim business – Imara

An unprecedented opportunity beckons growth-minded Zimbabwe businesses as executives from member firms of Global Alliance Partners (GAP) prepare to fly into Harare for the organization's first conference in Africa.

GAP's record of fostering entrepreneurial expansion in developing markets has been spotlighted by Mark Tunmer, Group CEO of Imara, the GAP partner for Africa and host of the Harare event on May 21-22.

He says 30 participants from the UK, USA, the Middle East and Far East are expected to attend, but even before their arrival they have sent a strong signal to Zimbabwe's private sector.

"By staging an Africa conference and selecting Zimbabwe as the location, GAP member firms have indicated that they see strong deal-making potential here," notes Tunmer.

According to GAP Chairman Robert W. McMillen, "GAP members are known for their deal appetite, especially in developing, emerging and frontier markets. They are a conduit to investment risk capital. They identify opportunities and build relationships between growing companies and new sources of funding".

"That track record will obviously be of great interest to Zimbabwean companies that have benefited from the dollarization of the country's economy and are now looking to achieve strategic growth," McMillen added.

Members of GAP have concluded 870 corporate transactions in 56 countries in recent years. Total transaction value stands at US$23 billion.

Imara, the Botswana-listed financial services group, has strong representation in Zimbabwe and is close to developments in the local corporate sector.

Tunmer believes that Zimbabwean companies in several industries may be interested in finding new partners or new providers of investment risk capital.

He points out: "We believe companies in the resources, retail, financial services, tourism and telecoms sectors are positioned for long-term growth.

"It will therefore be interesting to see if introductions to GAP conference delegates will lead to increased deal flow and set the scene for further international investment in the Zimbabwe economy.

"It is an unprecedented opportunity and some very robust and resilient Zimbabwean companies are well placed to take advantage."

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