The growing investor interest in Zimbabwe under the Second Republic, and following a swathe of reforms to make investment easier and more streamlined, with as much as possible a single one-stop agency handling the paperwork, is a testament to the clear direction and stress of President Mnangagwa.
The objective is to accelerate the growth of the Zimbabwean economy, create new jobs, increase exports, harness new technologies and generally raise the value of what Zimbabwe produces so push forward on creating an upper middle income economy, while ensuring Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of economic growth in Africa.
The latest business delegation came from France, made up of officials of 20 companies ready for direct investment in Zimbabwe but representing a huge organisation of 200 000 French companies, some of whom will be interested to hear what openings are available and how the delegation was treated.
The treatment was in many ways typical. The Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency, which under the Second Republic combined functions spread across competing authorities into that one-stop-shop that is so important, found out what the French businesspeople wanted to know and who they wanted to meet and then arranged meetings with the Mutapa Investment Fund and a string of Government Ministries and others.
The group was accompanied to Zimbabwe by Ambassador Sekai Nzenza, who they had obviously been dealing with back home and flew out with them to make sure their visit went the way they wanted.
As a former Cabinet minister on the economic side she can obviously make sure her investment promotion and international trade duties are at high level.
But quite often when a major business and investment delegation comes to Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwean Ambassador from their country comes with them to make sure that vital links between foreign investors and local groups and businesses are as perfect as possible.
The group also met President Mnangagwa, again a fairly typical occurrence.
The President is keen on meeting major business groups, both when he visits other countries usually for other functions, but is always available for private-sector business talks, and when delegations like this latest one from France visit Zimbabwe.
Such intervention is useful and potential investors like to hear the word from the top, that they are welcome and that the Government will do what can be done to smooth their investment into Zimbabwe.
There is also that public recognition of the investors, and considering some of the problems that have faced foreigners in Africa in the past, it is helpful when it is made clear that corruption is not permitted.
A con-artist cannot even try to peddle influence when the President himself has made the welcome.
What was a bit different with this latest meeting of business people from a Western country was the presence and active support of French Ambassador to Zimbabwe Paul-Bertrand Barets.
This should not be unusual, and in with some countries is not unusual, as Zimbabwe is not the only country to insist its diplomats smooth business relations and give what support they can to their own private sector.
However, the European Union, and France is a major member of that highly successful economic and political bloc, was one of the groups that imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe.
The EU has been normalising relations with Zimbabwe, especially since the advent of the Second Republic, both as a group and as individual countries.
In many ways the Second Republic's foreign policy of being a friend to all and an enemy to none, backing the practical policy of engagement and re-engagement, has seen some of its greatest successes with the continuous improvement in relations with Europe.
And the presence of the French Ambassador actively backing his own country's business people is a further sign of that normality.
We have still to see this sort of support, for example, with American business and investment groups, which are now starting to come to Zimbabwe.
We think the active involvement of diplomats in helping to smooth business ties is important.
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Business people like the idea that there are no political hassles on the horizon, that they will be supported by their own embassy and that they can then get down to the practical nitty gritty of doing what they do best, the pure business. This is important for everyone.
As we have noted before, as more investors come to Zimbabwe, and then convert their interest to actual investment, then more will be interested. Success breeds success in this field.
The continued efforts by the Zimbabwean authorities to make sure our rules are clear, transparent and rational also helps, so that a potential investor can see from the start what their rights and obligations are and there are no hidden surprises.
Our rules are now fairly simple.
Investors have to follow clear environmental, safety, health and employment standards, but these now follow general global best practice so are not an issue.
As investors they benefit from a number of tax concessions, but still have to be compliant with, again, a straight-forward tax law.
