HARARE, May 9 (Bernama) -- Zimbabwe's strategic positioning in the region enables it to access a market of more than 400 million people which investors must take advantage of and exploit, an official said yesterday.

Zimbabwe Investment Authority (ZIA) chief executive officer Richard Mubaiwa said the market could be accessed whilst based in Zimbabwe, New Ziana reported.

"The country is a regional gateway from the North to South corridor. One can conduct business logistics with regional partners without too many hustles which make transactions cheap," he said.

Mubaiwa said foreign investors and Zimbabweans living abroad should utilise the county's accessibility and exploit available business opportunities.

He said Zimbabwe's business environment is supported by good infrastructure and the economy provides diverse opportunities in such areas as manufacturing, services, agriculture, mining and tourism.

The Zimbabwe Investment Authority had approved 39 projects in the first quarter of the year valued at US$152.8 million with the bulk in the mining and manufacturing sectors.

Last year, projects worth more than US$6.6 billion were approved which were expected to bring renewed capital injection into the economy.

-- BERNAMA