admin
Blessing Bonga Business Reporter
IMPLEMENTATION of the industrial development and national trade policies will be expedited to ensure the speedy resuscitation of industry and narrowing the trade deficit, Minister of Industry and Commerce Mike Bimha has said.
Minister Bimha was speaking in Harare yesterday during an interactive meeting hosted by Steward Bank which was attended by captains of industry and the business community.
“As a ministry we are going to push for implementation of the two policies already in place and we are going to work with the finance and indigenisation ministries to align the policies with our indigenisation laws while also getting the much needed funding,” he said.
The minister expressed concern over the manner in which cheap imports and sometimes sub-standard products were finding their way into the country, saying that they were having a negative impact on efforts to resuscitate industry and revive the economy through attracting fresh investment.
“My ministry intends to deal with issues to do with the porous points of entry that encourage unethical business practices resulting in sub-standard goods making way into the country and the issue of prohibitive tariffs that discourage trade,” he said.
Minister Bimha added that restoring production and viability of the manufacturing sector would go a long way in growing the country’s export earnings that have continued to decline while imports continue increasing resulting in an unhealthy trade balance.
Africa Sun Limited chief executive Dr Shingi Munyeza, who also attended the breakfast meeting, urged the Government to promote public, private sector partnerships so that no one is left out in the thrust to revive industry and the economy.
“I believe at this stage Government should promote public and private sector partnerships so that we focus in a holistic manner and come up with a national vision on what needs to be done especially in the short term to ensure a speedy recovery of the economy.
“We also need to rebrand and repackage ourselves as a country,” Dr Munyeza added.
Online Reporter