Middle East Forum Contact: Tendai Wemhazi
So to date i have given you two Forum Contacts–they are for Angola (Julie Musix) and for DRC its Rejoice In case you want to relocate, In case case you would like to inquire about business- you are not going to start from scratch You are going to have a forum contact to assist you with free information thanks to ZBIN
Now ladies and gentlemen let me introduce you to another close friend of mine. Tendai WeMhazi…a very close friend of mine who is based in Dubai do ask her questions and she will do her best to respond.
Questions
Farai Joseph :Are there a lot of foreign owned businesses in Dubai? Any restrictions on foreign ownership?
Watson Midzi: Am growing organic products am told there is a huge demand for organic foods currently dominated by Brazil. What chances are there for Zimbabwean companies or farmers to supply in Dubai. Hw do I do it?
Yemurai Nhongo-Thepe Thanks for this, mazuvano ndafunga zve Middle East, somewhere I can go without having to leave my family. Is Dubai family friendly? Someone recently told me Saudi is super expensive if you have a young child. Ko mabasa ari legitimate anowanikwa sei ikoko?
Glenda Chihera Paka: what qualifications do they require in dubai or abu dhabi for me to get a meaningfull job since i cnt speak Arabic
Response
Tendai Bond Cash-Baroness WeMhazi: Hey guys. Let me start by explaining a few basics. The UAE (United Arab Emirates) consists of 7 Emirates, Abu Dhabi which is the capital, Dubai which is the 2nd biggest emirate, then Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umn Al Quiwan and Sharjah. Dubai is the most popular but Abu Dhabi is the richest. You can open your business in any of the 7 emirates. The best thing to do is choose your Emirate according to the type of business you want to do coz if you want to go into manufacturing, small emirates have lower rents, You just have to know what you want to do. Farai Joseph, there are a lot of foreign owned businesses in Dubai. I think the highest number of foreigners who own businesses are Indian. Anyone can own a business in the UAE but ownership depends on where your business is located. If you open your business in a freezone, you have 100% ownership but some businesses are not practical to operate from a freezone. Another option is Mainland. If you open in the mainland then you can only own 49 % and find a local( Emirati) partner to own 51% (called a sponsor). Some Emiratis own 51% but as silent partners. You can agree on an annual fee to pay them and only see them once a year when you give them the agreed sponsorship money
Tendai Bond Cash-Baroness WeMhazi: Watson Midzi any agricultural products will do coz there’s no meaningful agriculture there. Meat products might present a challenge yekuti meat products from other countries are not allowed. South Africa and Botswana are not even allowed to bring in meat products. There are a lot of sub standard fruits and veges sold in our supermarkets.
Questions
Njabulo Mshin Zuma: why Is South Africa and Botswana not allowed to bring meat products?
Prisca Ncube Musere how much money is neeeded to sustain you when busy looking for a job ,ende unenge uchigara pai someone told me u need to book and stay in a hotel for that period.
Response
Tendai Bond Cash-Baroness WeMhazi Sorry guys, been a bit busy. I’m on holiday in Zim lol so too much to do. Rutendo, there are all sorts of job opportunities out there. Tourism, business management, finance etc. Asingabatike batike are the ones from the social services sector like Social work etc. Njabulo im not really sure why. I was told so by a guy who manages a SA butchery where I buy my boerwoirs. I guess it’s about diseases like foot and mouth etc. Prisca Musere, it’s really hard to say how much u need coz it all boils down to what u eat and where you find accommodation. You don’t have to stay in a hotel. That’s not true. U can find people advertising for bedspace ( a small space for sleeping). Bed space in Dubai costs a little bit more than the other Emirates. I think it’s about 800 dirhams (divide by 3.67 if you want to know the equivalent in dollars) for bed space in a room with 5 other people and u will be the 6th one. Sharjah is a little bit cheaper but be sure to stay in an area called Al Nahda which is right next to Dubai. Sharjah bedspaces go for about 800-850 in a room of 4 people. Some rooms have access to a kitchen and some don’t so it means you will have to buy food if u have no access to a kitchen. You might be required to pay your bit for the electric ana water bill. I’d say maybe $500 per month. It’s expensive, especially now coz jobs are hard to come by. Glenda i’m not really sure what you are asking. Simba some jobs like nursing are a little bit more challenging to get for many nationalities coz there aren’t many Zimbos in that sector. They usually recruit nurses/ medical staff from countried where they have assessed the level and standard of education/training. Check with Dubai health authority. Just google Dubai health authority or HAAD (Health authority of Abu Dhabi) and check for licensing requirements coz you need to get a license from them b4 working in the UAE. Just check if they accept qualifications from Zim.
Question
Alfred Nzombe Need to know on cost of living ,requirements for one to be able to live there whilst looking for work and the time one can spent looking for work,cost of accommodation and salaly scales.Also type of contracts are they permanent or temporary.
Response
Tendai Bond Cash-Baroness WeMhazi: Alfred. The cost of living is high in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, slightly less in Sharjah and a bit reasonable in other Emirates. U can work in Abu Dhabi or Dubai and drive back and forth daily. A lot of people do it but it takes around 1hr 30min. it’s usually the people who work in Dhabi and choose to live in Dubai who do that coz Dubai offers more entertainment than Dhabi. Then u have a lot of people who live in Sharjah and work in Dubai coz rents are slightly cheaper. Problem with that is the traffic congestion everyday to and from Dubai. You can also live in Ajman which is 45min- 1hr drive from Dubai. It’s more practical if u drive your own car. Some people live in Ras Al Khaimah and work in Dubai but that takes an hour daily to go and another hour back. There’s a lot of truck drivers on that road so it’s definitely not the safest. Salaries differ a lot and nationality does play a big part. Americans, british and Australians are usually @ the top of the pay scale in that order (usually)followed by Arabs and other Europeans. Africans are not among the highest paid but there are a lot of them who are doing well. Some people get paid around $uSD15 000/month whilst housekeepers and waiters, cleaners etc get paid between 5 hundred and something dollars to $800. Problem is the rent people who fall in the bottom part of the payscale can’t afford to pay for an apartment so end up going for bedspaces. I have a flat I rent in Sharjah (just where Dubai ends and Sharjah begins) and I pay almost $1 000 per month in rent before electricity. Food depends on what u eat. My food budget per month is about $500 coz I buy my food from a particular supermarket but I shopped from a regular supermarket, id probably be spending $200 or less.
Tendai Bond Cash-Baroness WeMhazi: Alfred, the first contract is usually for 2 yrs then goes on auto renew(where I work). Some are unlimited ( my old job). They have a sponsorship system in the UAE and you are obliged to stay with 1 employer for min of 2 yrs. If u try to get another job whilst on a limited contract you risk getting a labour ban for 6 months meaning u have to leave the UAE and return after 6 months. You can’t get temporary employment and you can’t work without a permit.
Tendai Bond Cash-Baroness WeMhazi: Sorr guys for the late response, i was on vacation. Mdala Wa Rue maNaija andinoziva are employed and have good jobs. Havaite zveku Gulf though our country is a Gulf country lol. Ad Mire Prime Makusha as long as uine good work experience uchiziva basa rako usina kuzungaira unowana basa.
PS* Post originally appeared on the facebook page Zimbabwe Business Ideas and Network.
