Vusumuzi Dube
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE business community in Matabeleland North province has been called upon to cooperate with Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) staff as they will be collecting data for the 2025 Economic Census.
This was revealed at the 2025 Economic Census Provincial Sensitisation Workshop for Matabeleland North Province on Wednesday.
The economic census is a comprehensive survey conducted to collect detailed information of all economic activities undertaken by various economic units in the country. The census shall be conducted at five-year intervals to track dynamics in economic activities over time.
In a speech read on behalf of Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Richard Moyo, by the director of Economic Affairs and Investment, Mr Godfrey Mukwakwami, he said active participation of all businesses was critical.
“The success of this Economic Census hinges on the active participation of all businesses, micro, small, medium and large across Matabeleland North province. Your contributions are essential in painting a complete picture of our economic activity. I, therefore, urge all business representatives here present to take full advantage of this meeting and gain a clear understanding of the census,” he said.
He said the 2025 Economic Census was a landmark undertaking that will provide them with a comprehensive picture of the provincial and national economic landscape, while the data was invaluable for informed decision-making at all levels.
Minister Moyo said as a province they were aware of the need for accurate and up-to-date economic data.
“This information will empower us to develop targeted policies that foster economic growth and job creation in the province as well as to allocate resources effectively to support key industries and sectors.
“It will also allow us to identify areas for investment that will unlock our province’s full potential. Our expectation therefore, is that, in support of the devolution agenda, statistics produced from the 2025 Economic Census, will be adequately disaggregated to enable decision-making at the lower tiers of Government,” he added.
ZimStat Industrial Statistics, Ms Kuda Chiguma said the economic census aims to provide comprehensive baseline statistics on the size and structure of the economy.
“It will also gauge the potential for industry interdependence in terms of local value chain linkages as well as provide valuable insights into the geographic spread of both establishments and economic activities in the country. It will generate key information for gross domestic product (GDP) compilation, and develop a comprehensive statistical business register,” she said.
She said Economic Census data is used by the Government, captains of industry, business owners and other stakeholders to gauge the potential for industry inter-dependence in terms of local value chain linkages.
Ms Chiguma said it is also used for assessing the market potential for new and existing products in provinces, facilitating decisions on location of new establishments/branch and facilitating investment in new product lines.
It also promotes capital investment in regions, and providing data for research purposes.
The Economic Census is expected to run from July 2024 until the end of 2026. The results of the census are key as they will inform the crafting of National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
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