Zimbabwe Chamber of SMEs gets continental recognition

George Maponga

Masvingo Bureau

The Zimbabwe Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises has attained continental acclaim after its secretary general was appointed into the board of governors of the All Africa Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (AAASME).

Zimbabwe Chamber of SMEs secretary general, Mr Kurauone Venancio, has been appointed into the governing council of the pan African body that promotes the growth of SMEs in Africa.

AAASME president, Dr Ebiekure Eradiri, in his letter announcing Mr Venancio’s appointment, said that his organisation hopes to tap from Zimbabwe’s experience in developing the sector that has potential to extricate millions of people out of extreme poverty on the continent.

Dr Eradiri commended the meteoric growth of the SMEs sector in Zimbabwe since the advent of the Second Republic noting that Zimbabwe Chamber of SMEs has helped revolutionise the sector to become a major contributor to aggregate gross domestic product.

He hailed AAASME for his appointment saying the move could not have come at a better time for Zimbabwe.

“This recognition is not for me personally but a thumbs up to Zimbabwe as a country for the inroads that have been made in growing the SMEs sector especially under the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa,”said Mr Venancio.

“The appointment is a seal of approval to the work that we are doing to transform the SMEs sector and we are grateful to the government of Zimbabwe for creating an enabling environment for SMEs to thrive into a multi-billion industry.”

According to Mr Venancio, his entry into the AAASME board of governors is a harbinger of brighter future for the SMEs sector in Africa as he vowed to push for the sector to benefit from the inception of the African Continental FreeTrade Area (AfCFTA).

Zimbabwe’s burgeoning SMEs sector has now morphed into a US$10 billion industry and is now a key anchor of the economy as the country eyes upper middle income status by the year 2030.