Online Reporter
Business Reporter
Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Senator Monica Mutsvangwa has commended small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Matabeleland North for driving community economic growth, saying their work aligns with the Government’s devolution agenda and Heritage-based Education 5.0.
Speaking during the International Day of Families commemorations, which ran concurrently with a business expo held in the province recently, Minister Mutsvangwa said she visits Matabeleland North every June to assess SME progress.
She highlighted the strong organisation among local business leaders and noted the return of Zimbabweans from the diaspora in South Africa and Botswana who are reinvesting in their communities.
“The SMEs are very organised; the leadership of SMEs is very organised throughout the country, but in particular in Matabeleland North,” Senator Mutsvangwa said.
She cited sectors such as timber, tourism, handicrafts and farming as areas where the province is excelling.
Minister Mutsvangwa credited Government infrastructure projects for supporting SME growth.
She singled out the Lake Gwayi-Shangani and the ongoing rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road as critical projects transforming livelihoods.
“A road is an economy and the Government is very serious about that,” she said. Minister Mutsvangwa said the Second Republic’s decentralisation policy meant national events were now being held outside Harare to spread development.
She added that her ministry’s mandate is to promote communities and SMEs across all provinces by replicating best practices from Mat North to Manicaland, Mash East and Mash West.
On education, Minister Mutsvangwa commended school children for showcasing prototypes at the event, linking their innovation to the rollout of Heritage-based Education 5.0.
“Zimbabweans are raring to go. There’s no way we can’t realise Vision 2030,” she stated, reiterating President Mnangagwa’s goal of establishing a middle-income society.
She urged SMEs to remain inclusive and reach grassroots communities, saying families that put food on the table and send children to school are key to tackling drug and substance abuse. SMEs are the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy, making up 90 percent of all businesses and contributing over 60 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.
The sector drives national employment, supporting millions of livelihoods across diverse industries such as manufacturing, retail, agriculture and services.
Senator Mutsvangwa called for protection of children and an end to child marriage and gender-based violence, which she said resonates with this year’s International Day of Families theme, which focused on families, inequalities and children’s well being.
“Let them fly. Girls, boys, they can fly,” she said.
