Nigerian Community in Zimbabwe Asked The Government Not To Kick Them Out

Simon Udemba, president of the Nigerian Community in Zimbabwe, has urged the government to reconsider its ban on foreign businesspeople in some sectors.

"I would like to plead with the Zimbabwean government and people to be considerate in effecting this exercise," Udemba told AFP.

"As an African and resident of Zimbabwe I am particularly concerned if the approach will be economically beneficial for the country."

He said Nigerians in Zimbabwe are contributing to the development of the country and that they should not be forced out of business.

"I believe Nigerians are providing necessary services. Nigerians have been here with Zimbabweans through all these years of isolation by the West, they never deserted Zimbabwe," he said.

"They have been in Zimbabwe through thick and thin, they live here with their families. Nigerians in Zimbabwe are doing genuine business and are servicing the economy positively."

"In my view there is no black African that should be called a foreigner in any black African land; we should look at one another as brothers."

But the Government is determined to press ahead with controversial plans to ban foreigners from owning bakeries, barber shops, estate agencies and a host of other businesses. See story here

"Foreigners operating in reserved sectors of the economy have been given January 1 as the deadline to comply with regulations," a government official told AFP.

The businesses to be owned by locals include bakeries, barber shops, beauty salons, estate agencies, grain mills, milk processing plants, retail outlets, tobacco processing, transport and valet services.