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Ishemunyoro Chingwere
Business Reporter
Business players have commended Government for spearheading the country’s Covid-19 vaccination programme, which kick started yesterday and described it has the biggest hope for companies that have taken a huge knock from the pandemic.
Some companies have no capacity to procure the vaccines and they are pinning their hopes on state facilitated programmes to cascade down to general workers.
Zimbabwean industries and other companies have taken a knock from Covid-19 mitigatory measures announced that have characterised the economy since last year in March and have also affected several international destinations.
Government, has by and large been credited for the manner in which it has handled the pandemic as it has allowed companies a window of survival.
The good trend continued yesterday when Zimbabwe became one of the first few countries on the African continent to roll-out a vaccination programme when it deployed 200 000 shots of the Sinopharm vaccine donated by China.
In an interview with this publication, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce president Dr Tinashe Manzungu, said vaccination is by far the best available response to Covid-19 and commended Government for rolling out the programme. Dr Manzungu also advised that the private sector is also in the process of mobilising for the purposes of purchasing more vaccines, which are meant to augment Government efforts.
“There is no doubt that business has taken some serious battering at the hands of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Dr Manzungu.
“Science, which we must rely on when dealing with such calamities, shows that vaccines are for now by far the biggest hope that the world has at its disposal in the fight against the pandemic.
“So the coming in of vaccines in Zimbabwe is a huge relief for us and business in this case and one hopes that with their rolling out, we can get back to some semblance of normalcy which will give business breathing space.
“We are very thankful to the Government for leading the way and our hope is that the process will be expedited and thus allow industry the recovery space it so requires.
“On our part as businesses, we are in the process that should see us being able to procure vaccines for our workforce, their spouses and immediate families.
“So our efforts should see us managing approximately 2 million shots,” he said.
Speaking on the vaccine roll-out, consumer and customer relations expert Dr Mthokozisi Nkosi, who is the executive director at the Chartered Institute of Customer Relations Management (CICRM), commended Government and called upon brands that are keen to make a positive impact to join the rollout.
Dr Nkosi noted that consumers and customers tend to have a liking of business brands that stand for societal good in times of challenges as is the case with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“New trends in global business show that there is a new set of employees and customers who are attracted to brands that align themselves with good social values.
“From where I stand, I just can’t think of a better socially responsible brand than the one which stands with its customers or employees in times of pandemics like the one that is currently ravaging the world.
“It is against this background that as an institute, we call upon trusted brands and brands that are keen to make a positive impact on society to come on board and partake in the purchasing of vaccines as well as investing in other strategies meant to mitigate the impact of Covid-19,” said Dr Nkosi.
Online Reporter