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Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) has embarked on a programme to compile a database of all the business enterprises and establishments operating in different sectors of the economy. The data will feed into the Central Business Registry, a new statistical frame for economic surveys meant to guide decision making processes and policy formulation.
Zimstat director-general Mr Mutasa Dzinotizei and his delegation met captains of industry in Bulawayo yesterday to apprise them of the programme and urge them to co-operate with survey conductors in providing the required statistics.
“Statistics plays a critical role in everyday life. As captains of industry you use statistics in producing, packaging and marketing your products as well as monitoring and evaluating your performance and the performance of the economy,” said Mr Dzinotizei.
He added: “Government also needs statistics from your sectors in order to plan, monitor and evaluate the impact of its policies and programmes relating to business.”
Mr Dzinotizei said official statistics, the world over provide an indispensable element in the information system of a democratic society, serving the government, the economy and the public with data about the economic, demographic, social and environmental situation.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) Matabeleland representative Mr Mpumelelo Mkhwananzi said industrialists were part of the national statistical system as providers and users of the data.
“We agree with Zimstat that as businesses, economic statistics play a big role in planning, evaluation and expansion of our work. We are going to urge our members to provide the information,” he said.
Zimstat database manager and Central Business Registry co-ordinator, Mr Perfect Makumbe, said the survey, which is being conducted in all provinces, covers the formal and the informal sectors including small to medium enterprises.
During the plenary session participants complained that results for Zimstat surveys were taking too long to be released.
Others urged Zimstat to broaden the scope of its surveys to include socio-economic studies on human development.
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