Zimbabwe to sell shares in state firms as part of its economic reform
The government has targeted selling some or all shares in 43 of its companies, most of them loss-making
Harare — Zimbabwe expects to raise $350m from selling shares in five state-owned telecommunications companies and a bank, as part of economic reforms being pursued by the government, finance minister Mthuli Ncube said in a statement. The Southern African nation’s economy is experiencing a severe dollar crunch and faces more headwinds from a drought this year that has wilted crops and left up to 5.3-million people in need of food aid, according to a UN humanitarian agency. Ncube said on Tuesday that the government will dispose of shares in its two mobile phone operators, NetOne and Telecel Zimbabwe; the country’s sole fixed-line telephony company TelOne Zimbabwe; postal services Zimpost; and state-owned savings bank POSB. “Work is already under way to identify transaction advisers. The government projects realising more than $350m from this initial process,” Ncube said in a statement, without giving a timeline. Ncube was not immediately available to comment but he said in October tha...
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