Industrial policy: Govt urged to consult widely

all stakeholders, an official has said.
In an interview, Bulawayo-based Association for Business in Zimbabwe (ABUZ) chief executive officer Mr Lucky Mlilo underscored the importance of wide consultation when drafting policies as the success of any strategy is based on the involvement of many stakeholders.
“While we welcome the drafting of the Industrial Development Policy it is always imperative and prudent for Government to consult all strategic stakeholders in crafting important documents like this one. As ABUZ we need to be consulted because many of our members are going to be affected in one way or the other by this policy,” he said.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has come up with the Industrial Development Policy that is meant to provide local industry with clear-cut guidelines so that the country can achieve the targeted economic growth of more than 9 percent. Industrialists and Government representatives are still deliberating on the policy document. Mr Mlilo said they have raised concern on why their organisation was not consulted when the preliminary document was crafted yet other stakeholders were involved.
“We have raised our concern with the relevant ministry on why we have been left behind and yet Bulawayo is the hub of industry. However, we are happy that they acknowledged our concern and as we speak they will be here in Bulawayo where we will be given an opportunity to contribute. This is a positive development because we also want our inputs to be taken on board,” he said.
Mr Mlilo hinted that inputs to the policy document should come from industrialists themselves and not politicians only. However, the ABUZ chief executive officer has hailed the ministry for its ongoing efforts in addressing problems faced by the local industry.
“Industrialists should assume a leading role in coming up with policies of this nature and the duty should not be left to politicians only. The ministry’s strides towards addressing the challenges faced by the local industry should be commended. This shows that the Government is concerned and appreciates the plight of the productive sector. If we come up with policies of this nature the country’s commitment towards revitalising our industry and economy relatively cannot be in doubt,” he said.
Mr Mlilo said the document covered a lot of ground and he hoped that it would serve as a trump card to the resuscitation of local industry.
“I got the chance of going through the document contents and found it very good apart from a few things that should also be included. However, a lot of essentials seem to have been covered since issues to do with tariffs, economic growth . . . are addressed in the document,” he said.
A senior economic analyst has also raised concern over some shortcomings that the document has and urged the ministry concerned to expand its horizons on consultation so that they come up with a comprehensive policy document.
“The credibility of the policy depends on the continued interrogation of the document. The policy should be wide in scope through taking care of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), issues of value addition and how the country can improve the competitiveness of local products on the global market,” Mr Luxon Zembe, an economic analyst, told ZBC in an interview recently.