Zimbabwe: Francistown and Bulawayo Seek Structured Trade Link
Local authorities and business leaders from Francistown, Botswana, and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, are seeking to formalize trade partnerships. The initiative aims to move beyond informal cross-border shopping toward structured investment and SME collaboration.
Why it matters
Strengthening economic ties between border cities is a key strategy for regional integration and development within the SADC region.
Francistown - Trade and investment between Francistown and Bulawayo should be more structured and intentional, with local authorities leading efforts to turn people-to-people movement into sustainable business partnerships.
This was revealed by speakers at the Hybrid Francistown Business Expo held in Francistown on Saturday which brought together entrepreneurs, policymakers and business networks from Botswana, Zimbabwe and other countries.
Bulawayo City Councillor, Mr Ntando Ndlovu, said his visit was aimed at promoting trade and investment between the two border cities.
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"A lot of people from Bulawayo come here to Francistown to buy goods. We now want to see more people from Francistown coming to Bulawayo to invest and trade in Zimbabwe," he said.
Mr Ndlovu said the two cities should not see each other as competitors but as cities that complement each other.
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