Online Reporter
Judith Phiri [email protected]
THE Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Monica Mutsvangwa has called for idle factories to be repurposed and refurbished to provide decent workspaces for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and other businesses that require adequate operating space.
Most idle factories and industrial infrastructure are owned by private sector players, while some have assets not being utilised.
Speaking after a tour the Maker Space Innovation Hub at the Bulawayo SMEs Centre on Thursday, the Minister said MSMEs were very critical to the economy.
“In our country, in many countries, MSMEs they have become the pulse of the economy. Manufacturing has become one of the biggest contributors to the gross domestic product (GDP) of this country.
“In total, the SMEs are bringing more than 60 percent to the GDP of this country. So, when we find a place like this, which infrastructure was really not being used, as a Ministry working together with our development partners, this place was refurbished. International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the
United Nations (UN) Women came on board to make sure that we provide a decent work space for our women MSMEs,” she said.
She said the women MSMEs were working very hard and managing to get orders from schools, hospitals and other companies.
Minister Mutsvangwa commended the women for utilising the specialised equipment to make high quality products such as embroidery school wear and corporate wear among others.
“So, all these women who are here because we have really come up with this compartment to make sure that everyone is able to put food on the table and they are also employing other people as MSMEs, creating employment,” she added.
“They are taking the youths away from the streets, those who do not have jobs who would end up taking drugs and substance abuse, they are now being employed here. As a Ministry, the Government of Zimbabwe and the Second Republic we support such initiatives. When the President talks about leaving on one and no place behind, that is what precisely is happening here.”
The Minister called for infrastructure lying idle to be repurposed and refurbished for more women MSMEs who are looking for decent work space.
She said creating compartments could ensure more MSMEs are able to work in a decent place and be able to meet order targets they have.
“We will continue to work and ask the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion to work with us a Ministry as well as the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works so that we identify all this idle infrastructure in the city of Bulawayo and other cities to convert them to decent work spaces such as this one,” she said.
Minister Mutsvangwa said such spaces ensure people work effectively and more productively.
She said the policy of Government and President Mnangagwa was to champion gender equality and women empowerment.
“The President has personally signed a high-level political compact of ending violence against women and children and other harmful practices. He has put in a lot of policies, as we can see, deliberate policies to make sure that there’s gender equality.”
