‘Byo ready to implement SEZs’

Prince Sunduzani, Business Reporter
BULAWAYO economic development officer Mr Kholisani Moyo says the city is ready to implement the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) model aimed at catalysing investment and reviving industries.

The second largest city is one of the designated areas to benefit under SEZs in the country together with Victoria Falls, Sunway City in Harare and Tokwe Mukorsi.

Mr Moyo said on Friday that the local authority had already put in place the necessary ground work for the implementation of the programme in the city and was awaiting guidance from central Government.

He said the BCC has already put in place initiatives to improve the Ease of Doing Business in order to pave way for the implementation of the programme.

“I want to say that as Bulawayo we are ready to implement the Special Economic Zone initiative. When Government gazetted the SEZ Bill, as Bulawayo we didn’t sit on our hands. The first thing that we did as Bulawayo was to establish a SEZ committee which involves all stakeholders and meets weekly,” said Mr Moyo.

“We identified sectors that can be recommended to the SEZ Authority. Once they come up with the secretariat of the SEZ, Bulawayo is ready to say that these are the sectors that we want you to consider under SEZ.

“We have already gone out to identify places where the companies will operate from. So if today we are told that the SEZ authority secretariat is there, we can be able to say as Bulawayo this is what we have done.”

The SEZ Bill was signed into law in 2016 as part of measures to attract foreign direct investment through enabling free market oriented legislation and flexible fiscal terms in designated areas. Business associations have however, expressed concern over slow progress in implementation of the programme.

SEZ Authority board chair Dr Gideon Gono has said lack of funding, absence of a chief executive officer (CEO) and secretariat were impeding the operationalisation of the SEZ pilot projects. Dr Gono was appointed SEZ chair in June last year.

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