U.S. says keen to help Zimbabwe improve investment climate

Two senior United States (U.S.) officials have met Zimbabwe government officials and business people to explore ways of improving ties and investment climate in the southern African country.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Shannon Smith and Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Steven Feldstein said the United States was keen to help Zimbabwe improve its business environment.

"We came in trying to understand what are the factors that could improve Zimbabwe's goal, for example, on the ease of doing business index which I think is an important measure that a number of countries, companies or individuals who look to do business or bring foreign direct investment use as a tool to say where should we look for investment," said Smith in an interview soon after meeting representatives of the business community Wednesday.

She said the ease of doing business ranking was a key indicator used by investors to determine the safety of investments in Zimbabwe.

The World Bank rates Zimbabwe as one of the least favorable investment destinations ranking it 171 out of 189 in its 2014 ease of doing business index.

Feldstein said the index was not only a measure of economic freedom available in the country but also a measure or desire to implement the rule of law.

The U.S. was also concerned about human rights violations, intimidation, harassment and forced disappearances of political activists in the country, he said.

He said the U.S. was concerned about perceived Zimbabwe government restrictions on the operations of civil society, private media, political parties, activists and citizens.

The U.S., he said, was also strongly concerned about the disappearance of prominent human rights activist, Itai Dzamara, who has been missing for close to two months.

Dzamara was allegedly abducted by suspected state agents from his Harare home in March, and police say they are still investigating the disappearance.

The U.S. officials on Tuesday met Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa, among other senior government officials, and are scheduled to meet representatives of civil society and opposition political parties during their week-long visit which ends on May 16.

The U.S. maintains decade-long targeted sanctions on President Robert Mugabe and his inner circle but it remains one of major providers of humanitarian aid to the Zimbabwe. Endi