New Delhi: India is planning to provide a soft credit of USD 100 million (around Rs 520 crore) to Zimbabwe for development of its health sector and to help the country in skill development.
"A team from India would be visiting Harare next week to discuss the proposal for Line-of-Credit (LoC) of USD 100 million for strengthening of health infrastructure," Commerce, Industry and Textiles Minister Anand Sharma, who is on a two-day visit to the African country, said.
The issue of credit was discussed during his meeting with Zimbabwe Finance Minister Tendai Biti in Harare yesterday.
India would assist Zimbabwe in improving its infrastructure, Sharma said.
Indian public sector enterprises, like IRCON, RITES and WAPCOS, which had earlier executed projects in Zimbabwe, could participate in executing fresh projects.
The two leaders also discussed multiple entry visa for Indian entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe.
New Delhi will also provide skill training to Zimbabweans and help in the development of textiles clusters there.
India's National Institute of Design (NID) is undertaking a project for training and to give exposure to craftswomen of rural Africa in basket making, as part of the India-Africa Forum Summit Action Plan, Sharma said.
The initiative will cover five African countries at a cost of USD one million over a period of three years, he said.
The project aims to empower women through skill enhancement and appropriate marketing and this will be launched in Zimbabwe next month.
The two ministers also reiterated the need to enhance and diversify the bilateral trade which currently stood at USD 128 million.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, January 10, 2012, 18:47