By Delicious Mathuthu
Reknowned Zimbabwean international businessman, Dr. Nigel Chanakira, says Zimbabweans in the diaspora should contribute to the development of their home country through investments.
Dr. Chanakira, who is founder of Kingdom Bank, which he later sold, says its high time Zimbabweans living abroad stopped living in the terraces and intervened in the economic development of the country.He said investment back home can be either financial or material for those who fear for their cash.”I have taken it upon myself to be part of the architecture in resolving not only Zimbabwean problems, but being part of the architecture where I do business, and I am currently doing business in six African countries.”I have been to 18 countries and Africa is my home and my passion.”I have a great, great love for the nation of Zimbabwe and believe that a lot of good can come out of Zimbabwe itself,” Dr. Chanakira says.
He says the macroeconomic problems prevailing in the country should not discourage Zimbabweans but instead should toughen them.”Our nation has hyper inflated more than any other in peace time and of an extraordinary amount.”I think that experience should harden us as Zimbabweans and teach us to reconstruct our country and help other countries that are struggling.”A lot of people give up, and there are 101 reasons why people may give up based on their own lives, based on elections and we have got one coming up in Zim and a lot of people will just mourn and think that we are a cursed people, but I have got good news for you that we are not cursed.”Those struggles, those tests should actually turn out to be testimony somehow and we should realise our God given potential.”When we have been through what we have been through, we should be then able to arise from the ashes and construct a better future for our children, and children’s children,” Dr. Chanakira said.Dr. Chanakira said the exposure that Zimbabweans have in the diaspora should be used to improve the economy and people’s lives back home, even through charity.”The mistake we often make as Africans is we don’t realise that those exposures should generate a yearning for us to develop our countries and continent of origin.”These exposures, I always say to my African brothers and sisters, don’t take them for granted that you are out there.”Bring those networks at home and make them work for you.”Bring them onto the continent if home is not attractive to you and is deemed too volatile. Do something with your skills,” he said.
On investment, Dr. Chanakira highlighted several investment opportunities in the country ranging from health, road infrastructure, rail, urban transport, power generation, solar, education, among other sectors.Despite having over 25 awards for business excellency, Dr. Chanikira has faced several challenges which include friction with authorities in Zimbabwe.He was arrested twice and exiled to South Africa, the United States of America and the United Kingdom for six years.He was also kicked out of his companies’ boards and once liquidated some of his assets to try and bail out his Kingdom Bank when it faced viability challenges.Attempts of a merger, twice, proved futile and later sold his Kingdom bank to AfrAsia bank.
He was also popular for running a television programme on financial literacy called ‘Making Money, Makes Sense’ on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.
Dr. Chanakira spent more than 20 years in the banking and finance industry working across six Southern African countries.
