admincolleague concurred with me that perhaps the problem is that we pronounce these policies and they look good on paper but before the ink dries up on the pages they are written on, we forget what they mean for Zimbabwe.
Effectively, there is a fine line between negative and positive policy in the country.
Not so long ago industry warmly welcomed the introduction of the local procurement process, designed to protect and promote local industry. This was also backed by the increased surtax on a number of goods but we still find that the challenge is still far from over.
The question that should be bugging everyone’s mind right now is “how do we reduce our unsustainable import bill?”
If we continue failing to take advantage of policy pronouncements which are designed to promote and in some cases protect local industry, what good are doing for our industry?
This continued increase in the import bill is unacceptable for a country that is so heavily endowed in terms of its capacity to produce.
In any type of economy were there is huge difference between what you are exporting and importing, you have serious problems.
From a buying Zimbabwe point of view, I believe this is what has resulted in the timidity of local companies. Our growth rate is timid, despite possessing a lot of potential and jobs are hard to come by.
The feeling is that the Buy Zimbabwe conference will inspire honest discussions on this topic in April.
While the report by the African Development Bank noted a positive increase in exports, which is a cause for celebration for local business, worryingly it still seems that local businesses are responding rather shyly to the local procurement policy.
Simply put, it is a straight contradiction for Company A to cry foul that there is no market for their goods locally when they import most of their raw materials, even when local alternatives are readily available.
The problem that I see here might be that while some of these legislative pronouncements are made, they get buy-in from a leadership level but when we cascade downwards to the implementation level, there is no buy-in.
It is thus important that we have company buyers at the conference so that we can all get an insight into whether there is some discourse somewhere.
I recall sometime last year when I was attending the Harare Agricultural Show and I spoke to a buyer from a leather tanning concern who had no idea that some chemicals in their tanning process were, in fact, found locally. He assumed the company had failed to withstand the pressures of the economic meltdown.
Perhaps it’s an information gap, which I think by the way, is just inexcusable.
I think part of the discussions on how we can reduce our import bill should circulate around promoting targeted local procurement arrangements and even taking drastic measures such as blacklisting of companies which, after being awarded tenders choose to import.
Here, Government should lead.
We need to leverage on Government’s enormous purchasing power to diversify the economy by deliberately promoting the utilisation of locally manufactured goods and services through procurement.
It is embarrassing to see our own Government ministers come under fire for flouting tender procedures. Recently it was the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.
The education sector has not been the only one found wanting, as the country is witness to a similar saboteur mentality in the health sector. Maybe it would been good to have discussions in the conference around “Do we have a low self-esteem as a country?”
The lack of action on the issues we discuss in boardrooms, at private meetings and conferences should be a thing of the past if we are to achieve. This has been said countless times about us as Zimbabweans, embarrassingly so by foreigners but I believe it cannot be overemphasised.
I believe though that we can go one better when it comes to buying local. Let us all start at this conference.
Till next week . . . God Bless.
l Robert Muganda is the Media and Communications Executive for Buy Zimbabwe. For comments, contributions and membership contact Buy Zimbabwe on: Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Cell: 0772 714 233
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