Chronicle Editor
Walter Mswazie in Masvingo
GOVERNMENT has called on local authorities to embrace the ‘ease of doing business’ drive to attract investment into their areas and contribute to attainment of an upper middle income economy by 2030.
In an interview after a recent stakeholder meeting in Chiredzi, Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Ezra Chadzamira, said all councils in the province were mandated to work towards contributing to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through attracting investments.
The Minister chided some councils for taking long to approve investment applications over simple procedures, which could be easily fast tracked.
“We encourage all councils, both urban and rural, to operate in line with the Government’s vision of achieving a middle income economy by 2030.
“They can achieve this through embracing the ease of doing business concept enunciated by Government,” he said.
Minister Chadzamira said there were many economic opportunities under the jurisdiction of local authorities and urged them to attract more investors through robust marketing programmes.
“In Chiredzi, we have Gonarezhou National Park, home to the big five animals. We also have Save Valley Conservancy where tourists always come for hunting.
“We also have Chilo Gorge Lodge, which is situated in a pristine wilderness with rooms that provide high level ambiance. All these are tourist attractions which can add value to the district of Chiredzi if marketed well,” said Minister Chadzamira.
“Each of the seven districts in Masvingo province has its own resources and we want to see them benefiting people,” he said.
The Minister said devolution was real hence local authorities were supposed to be at the forefront of making sure there was a turnaround of the economy in provinces given that they were the custodians of all resources found in the districts.
“We depend on local authorities both urban and rural district councils in utilising the province’s resources.
“It is these local authorities with a say on the amount of natural resources in existence and how much the investor can commit in order to tap them,” he said.
As such, local authorities have been directed to have their own action plans, which will serve as development templates as part of the devolution agenda.
In order to live to its promise on the ease of doing business, Government is finalising the process of establishing a fully-fledged Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (ZIDA) that will process investment approvals within a day.
This is part of Government’s public enterprise reform programme to advance President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 of turning Zimbabwe into an upper middle income economy.
The country’s short term economic reform plan, the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP), is already being implemented, underpinned by structural reform measures to mitigate the challenges and risks faced by the economy. — @walterbmswazie2
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