Infrastructure key to enterprise development

basis for all this is good infrastructure.
Both physical and legal infrastructure provides the essential platforms for the activities of all economies. In the physical realm, for example, it is hard to imagine life without roads, communications networks, airports, sewer systems and electricity supply grids. Naturally, governments are expected to play a central role in financing, if not operating, such infrastructure facilities.
In turn, because so much infrastructure is local, the planning and construction of many projects historically has been delegated to local authorities.
In the case of Zimbabwe, emerging from a decade of economic challenges, the development of infrastructure has been adversely affected by the concept of cash budgeting and the absence of funding from multilateral agencies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
The concept of entrepreneurial development must be viewed from the perspective that modern infrastructure creates opportunities for entrepreneurs as their operations integrate the new technologies. The authorities should bring the private sector on board so that they can harness their experience, talent and innovation to improve public infrastructure. Government alone cannot achieve the mammoth task at hand as it has scarce resources.
There is increasing collaboration, however, through the private-public partnerships concept that has roped in both parties to develop infrastructure. This is a win-win scenario that has brought together the two key stakeholders to ensure that like minds collaborate.
If we go back, say 50 years ago, Ghana, South Korea and Malaysia were on equal footing. But right now it’s a whole different story altogether when you look at the advances that South Korea and Malaysia have made.
Large corporations have been created in those countries driven by the entrepreneurial drive of the locals there. What we need in the developing world is to create an enabling environment that ensures maximum utilisation of our resources. We have them, let’s harness them.
The telecommunications sector has been over the past few years enjoying unparalleled growth in Zimbabwe because of the entrepreneurial drive of the owners of the firms. They have invested huge sums in infrastructural development to enable them to fully exploit the market. The result has been an increase in the teledensity rate to up to 76 percent.
More and more people are getting easy access not only to cellphone lines, but handsets as well. Communication has become easier and with it comes opportunities for enterprise development.
The phenomenal growth witnessed in the telecomms sector backed by investment in the supporting infrastructure is an ideal model for growth. Numerous job opportunities have also arisen and inflows into the fiscus have also been enhanced.
One of the most critical drivers of economic prosperity across Africa is putting faith in the ability of people to build their own economic future through building businesses that serve the community they live in.
They should encourage aggressive and imaginative local entrepreneurs in creating an infrastructure for the new knowledge-based economy.
This must be targeted at encouraging local home-grown entrepreneurs and not flooding the economy with foreign traders while advancing the local economic empowerment agenda.
The Internet represents perhaps the most significant infrastructure project of modern times. Competing telecom providers seeking for faster computational power and transmission speeds have fuelled its growth. As a result, the average price of service has fallen significantly over the years.
In essence the Government should support the development of infrastructure and sound policies favouring an entrepreneurial culture among the citizens resulting in better lifestyles.
Poverty is a curse of mankind and we should all strive to rid of it in our midst.
As always, let’s make money.