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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT’S transformational agenda has started bearing fruit as witnessed by the recent listing of Zimbabwe among the Top 20 Improvers on the World Bank’s ease of doing business index, Lupane State University’s (LSU) Vice Chancellor Professor Pardon Kuipa said yesterday.
He was speaking at LSU’s 10th graduation ceremony in Lupane, Matabeleland North where President Mnangagwa capped 958 graduates.
Prof Kuipa said the latest positive world ranking is an endorsement that Zimbabwe is in the right direction towards achieving its 2030 vision for an upper middle income society.
“Congratulations, Your Excellency and Chancellor on the World Bank’s listing of Zimbabwe together with Togo, Kenya, Nigeria and Djibouti amongst the world’s ‘Top 20 Improvers’ on doing business, following regulatory improvements by the Zimbabwean Government in key business facilitator areas. We view this World Bank listing as a major endorsement of the policy reforms that the Government has embarked upon as it seeks to attract more investors and turn around the economy in the drive towards achieving an upper middle income by 2030,” said Prof Kuipa.
According to World Bank ratings, Zimbabwe moved from position 155 to 140 out of 190 countries on the ease of doing business index.
Analysts said although more still needs to be done, climbing on world rankings was a sign of global confidence in Government’s transformational agenda.
President Mnangagwa and his Government took a deliberate step to improve the ease of doing business in the country to attract investors under the mantra “Zimbabwe is Open for Business.”
Under this new initiative, Government is focused on creating a one stop shop investment centre for the convenience of potential investors as well as enacting laws that promote investment.
The one stop shop investment centre is a break from the past when investors had to move from one office to another just to obtain necessary information needed before they could invest in Zimbabwe.
Those hurdles were said to be a major turn off for investors who would then take their monies to other countries that were investor friendly
Meanwhile, Prof Kuipa said LSU was also playing its part in creating linkages with local and foreign partners.
“The university through its urban councils’ liaison committee has to date interfaced with all local authorities in Matabeleland North Province and gathered information on their development needs, challenges and opportunities for collaboration. The university shall assist the local authorities in capacity building once all the capacity gaps have been identified,” said Prof Kuipa. — @nqotshili
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