adminmeeting should be able to address some of the monumental challenges currently facing the country economically which include under capacity utilisation, the liquidity crunch, a low employment index and other related challenges.
I will begin by explaining that the conference panel and cluster sessions are designed to be more interactive. The conference is going to create two-way dialogues, and create connections among attendees. The Buy Zimbabwe conference is in the midst of change, and the content of the programme should reflect that change. Buy Zimbabwe chose an interactive format including single correspondent commentary, interviews and viewpoint discussions. The conference programme has been designed to carry the country’s leading decision makers in both the public and private sectors to moderate the key issues facing the economy.
The session will also include a keynote address from a senior Government official, who will share views and opinions on the current state of the economy with specific reference to the local production and consumption.
The programme will also have three “round-table” discussions coming in at different times to discuss our procurement, demand for local products, penetration into regional and international markets and the milestones recorded so far in buying Zimbabwe among other issues. In all sessions, attendees will be given opportunity to send questions to the panellists.
The country’s priority sectors have been broken down into clusters where key players in sector will discuss the myriad of challenges and opportunities existing in each sector. Rapporteurs shall be on call to take note of the discussions, compile the outcomes and lead the presentations to relevant ministers and their permanent secretaries responsible for each sector.
One would expect that our high import bill will be addressed during the panel sessions through a sustained support of local procurement policies and programmes that support Zimbabwean goods and services.
The deepening financial crisis at Green Fuel is threatening a project that not only promised to provide a lasting solution to fuel requirements of the country, but also provides jobs and is a national pride project.
The project has not received the necessary support and I am of the opinion that if emphasis is placed on the comparative quality of the product to other brands then perhaps the project might stand a chance.
Green Fuel definitely needs to engage the Standards Association of Zimbabwe and consider the certification way as a way of inspiring confidence in the market. There is obviously, however, the question of Government supporting the project itself. We could try Government vehicles being fuelled using E10, besides the pricing is just right.
There are other cases such as how some Government medical institutions have snubbed Varichem and how Zimbabwean soccer supporters often don the South African national soccer replica jerseys. Our charge is to players in the textile industry to act on this.
There is obviously concern over availability and the pricing of local replica jerseys. However, I do not think that we as fans can also afford to compromise national pride in full view of the world. It is really encouraging that the textile industry has been listed as a priority sector in the industrial and trade policies.
Speaking of which, Buy Zimbabwe is excited about Government’s endorsement of the initiative via inclusion in the IDP. This says that the journey has now truly begun.
Government has pledged to support the initiative and this takes me back to Government, as the single largest consumer, actually supporting our local products through an effective pro-Zimbabwe procurement policy. At least it can lead as it cannot continue to support imports when local alternatives are available.
The National Incomes and Pricing Commission will reveal that the issue of price has to be dealt with. Zimbabwean cross-border traders and leading retailers prefer to sell foreign products because they are often cheaper in the source markets and will often compete better on the market because of the price element. Whether its perception or fact remains to be investigated to avoid over-generalising.
The truth is that we cannot continue to import because its unsustainable in the long term considering that although still far from the targeted 80 percent or so by 2015 our capacity utilisation as industry has gone up significantly to about 57 percent. This in itself is a milestone coming from a mere 10 percent when we dollarised the economy.
However, we have an oxymoron here, the country is battling a “temporary liquidity crisis” and we continue to import. So long as the country fails to address this contradiction then RBZ and other financial institutions will continue to adopt a cautious lending approach in order to avert risk. Discussants in the banking and finance cluster obviously have their work cut out for them.
Obviously once all the hygiene issues have been taken care of, our focus should be on the regional and international markets. This is not to say we do not have Zimbabwean products on these markets as we have some local products actually dominating there. Perhaps it is the custodians of such products who shall lead at the conference in sharing their experiences when we discuss “how we can create win-win partnerships in Sadc (and beyond”. Zimbabwean products need to unlock the vast opportunities that exist in intra-Sadc trade.
Now having said that, we hope to see you all at the conference from leading CEOs, to senior Government officials, trade unionists, business associations and the media to come and tackle the challenges being faced in capacitating our local brands and getting them onto the shelves of many households.
Till April 11 2012, may the good Lord richly bless you!
l Robert Garai Muganda is the media and communications executive for Buy Zimbabwe. He can be contacted on: [email protected] Cell: 0772 714 233
Website: www.buyzimbabwe.org.zw
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