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Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
The business community has welcomed the outcome of the just-ended 14th Zanu-PF’s Annual People’s Conference and called on Government to ensure speedy implementation of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset).Zanu-PF held its conference in the Mashonaland West capital of Chinhoyi under the theme “Zim Asset: Growing the economy for empowerment and employment”.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries president Mr Charles Msipa said, “We welcome many of the resolutions because they are in line with the Zim Asset document and as the private sector we are ready to partner Government in their implementation.
“Some of the issues like the special economic zones and public-private partnerships are issues we have also proposed before and we welcome their adoption.
“We now wait to move to the implementation of these issues so that we can quickly turn around the fortunes of the economy but as I have said before, we stand ready to partner Government.”
Affirmative Action Group president Mr Keith Guzah supported Zanu-PF’s stance on promoting participation of indigenous Zimbabweans in the mainstream economy.
“As the AAG we are agreeable with President Mugabe and Zanu PF’s position that our economy can grow through the implementation of the Zim Asset blueprint . . . The Zim Asset document needs to be embraced across all sectors of the economy if meaningful achievements are to be recorded in the short to medium term,” he said.
Mr Guzah said Government should also take stern measures against foreign companies that were resisting the country’s indigenisation laws.
President of the Professional Women in Business, Ms Sibusisiwe Bango, also welcomed the resolutions by the revolutionary party but called on Government to capacitate locals so that they professionally run their businesses.
“When it comes to indigenisation, it should not just be about ownership but an understanding of how to run those businesses,” she said.
“We should also have policies that protect local industries and Government should also deal with corruption decisively.”
Ms Bango called on Government to address leakages in minerals extraction.
“We have the second-largest diamond deposits in the world so why should we suffer? It should not be in the hands of a few but benefit all Zimbabweans,” she said.
In his opening address at the conference President Mugabe said there would be rationalisation of the mining sector. He lambasted Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation for not being actively involved in the joint ventures it operates at the Chiadzwa diamond fields.
Online Reporter