adminSukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu Gwanda Bureau
GOVERNMENT is reviewing the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Policy to enhance creation and maintenance of an enabling regulatory environment for budding businesses.
Through the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Government is already conducting consultative meetings in all 10 provinces. Speaking on behalf of provincial development coordinator, Ms Majorie Skundla, during a Matabeleland South stakeholders consultative meeting in Gwanda on Friday, Umzingwane district development officer, Mr Nhlanhla Magagula, said the policy was being reviewed to replace the one which expired last year.
“The ministry has embarked on a process of reviewing the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Policy,” he said. “The SMEs sector has been operating under a policy, which ended last year hence the need to come up with a 2019 policy.
“We need to reflect on the previous policy and identify the gaps it had. As stakeholders, we need to make inputs that will feed into the new policy and create a new dimension in the MSMEs sector.
“The policy would serve as a tool to enable the expansion and diversification of SMEs which were crucial to the growth of the economy.”
The ministry’s consultant, Mr Mike Nyamazana, said they had so far conducted consultative meetings in six provinces, adding that there was need to review the policy to be in line with Government’s economic policy framework.
The previous policy was crafted in 2013, hence the need to align it with latest policies such as the new National Industrialisation Policy, Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) and the drive to transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle economy by 2030. Mr Nyamazana said the policy review process started in September with public views from all provinces being compiled to form a draft policy.
“Government has aspirations for economic growth where SMEs are a major player in the growth of the economy, hence the need for this policy,” he said.
Online Reporter