Vusumuzi Dube
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE Ministry of Industry and Commerce has reaffirmed its commitment to continue developing policies that promote industrial development and improved consumer welfare, as they address current market disruptions to the supply chain distribution channel being experienced in the economy.
Speaking at a meeting to discuss the supply chain distribution channel in the economy at Sabre Business World in Harare on Thursday, Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Roy Bhila said it was critical to iron out the concerns raised by both the manufacturers and retailers in order to ease the turbulence that are currently prevailing.
“Your participation attests to the commitment that you have towards addressing challenges that may hinder the development of our country as we move towards becoming an empowered and prosperous middle-income income economy by the year 2030.
“I would like to assure you that the Ministry will continue to develop policies that promote industrial development and improved consumer welfare. This growth can however only be achieved if you in turn support these Government initiatives,” he said.
He said the Ministry remains committed towards continuous engagements with the ultimate goal of promoting the growth of industry and commerce in the economy.
Meanwhile, at a different event, at the Zimbabwe Institute of Strategic Thinking (ZIST) Thematic and Clusters breakfast meeting, the Deputy Minister said the Ministry has come up with a cocktail of policy measures that it is pursuing to improve the country’s industrialisation agenda as well as enhance consumer welfare.
“The Ministry is in the process of reviewing the Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy. Countrywide consultations are currently underway and I would like to urge you all to ensure that your comments are incorporated into this document which seeks to advance and grow our industrial base in line with current global trends.
“The Ministry remains committed to strengthening linkages with different value chains, as part of the implementation of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1),” he said.
Within the pillar on moving the economy up the value chain and structural transformation, he said the Ministry came up with sector-specific strategies, which seek to prioritise key value chain growth including the pharmaceutical strategy, leather strategy, cotton-to-clothing strategy, sugar strategy and iron and steel strategy, among others.
Deputy Minister Bhila said the local content strategy presents an opportunity for increased local production anchored on stimulating the development of local industry, value and supply chains as well as promoting local linkages amongst the agricultural, extractive, manufacturing and service sectors.
“Under this strategy, the Government is looking at domesticating a number of value chains to save millions of dollars in imports. Zimbabwe’s retail sector contributes around 60 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and it is also employing a significant number of workers directly and indirectly.”
He said the theme of the event: “Nation Building–Rallying Behind Zimbabwean Energies to Build Viable Economic Enterprises Through Thematic Committees and Clusters” was consistent with the collective aspirations of the Government’s initiative to foster the industrialisation agenda by pursuing continuous public-private sector engagements.
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