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Stephen Mpofu
Do not all Zimbabweans hear shrieking cries loosened by the economy nearly mortally wounded by illegal Western sanctions and left mired in the doldrums?
One might be excused for believing that only local agents of regime change willfully plug their ears because they believe that a forced change of government will make them worm their way into power at the behest of imperialists even though they dismally fall short of the right political credentials at this moment in time to lead this nation because they sup with the very enemy of the people of Zimbabwe.
But what about those holding down key portfolios in government that put these officials in good stead to take such measures as will give the Zimbabwean economy a new lease of life — why do they appear ensconced on their laurels for what seems an eternity instead of taking bold measures to neutralise the effects of the economic embargo which has forced company closures or left other industries just limping along?
The answer to the above question is probably to be found in remarks by Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda a week ago in Bulawayo at a seminar on the ease of doing business.
Clearly chagrined at the pace — or lack of it — at which the sanctions-battered economy is recovering, the Speaker lambasted some government ministers for their lethargy in creating an environment conducive to inflows of foreign capital to inject new doses of life into the economy and with that help steer Zimbabwe toward a brave new future for a small country but one that is richly endowed with mineral resources in particular.
Ambassadors wrote project proposals, said the Speaker, but everywhere these envoys are frustrated by a lack of quick responses by Zimbabwe to speed up inflows of investment capital.
The question that begs an answer concerns where exactly the interests of those government officials lie. Or is the lackadaisical speed in which they transact government business willful and therefore a betrayal of their collusion with proponents of regime change, or are these leaders simply square pegs in round holes?
That, as the Speaker claimed, Zimbabwe is failing to do business with for instance a sister African country, Kenya, with which the link in signatures for a trade agreement has long been dry and is now probably fading is clearly a tragic tell tale about the country’s failure to grab business opportunities when these do arise.
What is even more, Indonesia reportedly asked for 10 tonnes of meat and 10 tonnes of soya beans per month but the ministries of Agriculture and Foreign Affairs have not moved, according to the Speaker.
Add to that amazing lethargy the country’s inability to export to the vast European Union at times because of poor communication with EU embassies in Zimbabwe.
Yet any novice in economics will tell you that more exports will bring in much needed foreign exchange to benefit the country.
Just as critical as mentioned above is the need for creating an environment that is friendly to increased foreign investment, in which case the truism about an early bird catches the fattest worms is also indisputably valid with regards to enterprising people seizing foreign investment opportunities when these present themselves, while indolent birds or countries settle for the leanest worms or none at all after everything has been gobbled up by countries that are more conscientious in scouting for foreign investment.
It therefore behooves on our government officials to move with speed and seize every investment opportunity that arises in order to help revive the ailing economy and in that way shame the prophets of doom who daily visualise this country in a heap of ruins.
This also means that anyone in government found behaving like a roadblock should be taken out of the way in order for the foreign investment traffic to start flowing without let or hindrance, especially now after President Mugabe cleared the fog arising out of conflicting investment policy pronouncements by two cabinet ministers concerning foreign investment and indigenisation.
That is what any much-vaunted investment crusade entails – pulling all the stops to create the gateway for foreign investment.
Online Reporter