Story by Stanley James, Business Editor
THE private sector has pledged to support the Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan (ZIRGP) 2024 -2025, aimed at solving challenges affecting companies.
Government and the private sector this Tuesday held discussions on the industrial blue print, whose focus is on growth opportunities, reducing costs and strengthening value chains.
With Zimbabwe focusing on a private sector-led economy, captains of industry and commerce contend the implementation is important towards achieving set objectives.
“The desire to grow industry is there and it is within such blue prints that a foundation towards growth is laid out and what is crucial is for the entire people to entrench the aspirations of the plan. This therefore entails cooperation among stakeholders to come up with a common vision, that is taking a closer look at current challenges and offer solutions that takes the economy forward riding on the current gains within the sector and taking a closer look to the outlook projections of enhancing intermediate manufacturing, utilisation of idle infrastructure assets, value chain optimisation, rural industrialisation and local content strategy implementation,” Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce- Harare Branch chairperson Mr Ephraim Chawoneka said.
Navidale Textiles Managing Director Mrs Mary Madzima noted, “As the plan seeks to address influx of smuggled and counterfeit products, improve the ease of doing business, enhance growth of large corporates, address regulation and compliance issues, it becomes imperative that as the private sector we need to embrace it for the growth of the economy.”
“We are more than willing to partner the government to implement the plan because through implementation, we are destined to achieve the intended targets so that it will harness competitiveness and position Zimbabwe as a regional hub for industrial growth by addressing issues of access to long-term financing and infrastructure as well as utilities such as electricity and water cost and availability,” Employers’ Confederation of Zimbabwe vice president Dr Farai Dube added.
Government has reaffirmed commitment to work with the private sector.
“Government is willing to roll out extensive discussions with industry and commerce relating to this blue print. Basically, the desire is there and what we want is to promote the sector, this strategy is also premised on four pillars that include issues constraining industrial growth, measures to promote growth, implementing, monitoring and evaluation including crafting the Zimbabwe National Industrial and Development Policy 2 (2026- 2030),” said the Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Honourable Raj Modi.
Treasury in the national budget allocated over ZiG 550 million to support implementation of the blue print targeted at sectors that include pharmaceuticals, oil seeds, grains and cereals, dairy, clothing and textiles, fertilizer, iron and steel, cement, wood and timber among others.
