admin
Business Reporter
Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce vice-president Mr Davison Norupiri has called for the immediate review of duty on imported raw materials.Speaking at the “New Government, New Policies, and New Expectations” business summit held in Harare on Tuesday, Mr Norupiri said the new Government should take steps towards liberalising the duty imposed on imported raw materials.
“The new Government should work on the review of duty laws on imported raw materials because the duty is affecting production in our companies thereby derailing growth.
“We are willing to engage the responsible authorities to ensure the scrapping of the duty on all imported raw materials,” he said.
Mr Norupiri also urged authorities to take the necessary steps to stem the smuggling of imported goods into the country.
He added that the Government should also prioritise funding for key industries and not those that have served their time.
“For instance, a company that manufactures napkins for children is no longer viable in this age because of the coming in of diapers. Therefore, much emphasis should be directed on viable and productive sectors of the economy,” he said.
Mr Norupiri said the business community and Government were setting up the Economic Implementation Taskforce to oversee the implementation of the Industrial Development Policy, among other issues that the previous Government failed to implement.
“We have agreed to the setting up of the economic taskforce which should be in place as a matter of urgency to see the implementation of some of the policies,” he said.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries president Mr Charles Msipa underscored the need for value addition saying it was the most critical step towards the achievement of an economic turnaround.
“The small and medium enterprises have to take the lead especially in the diamond industry. SMEs should be at the heart of the cutting and polishing industry which will increase the value of our diamonds and create jobs,” he said.
The one-day summit was hosted by CCL Consulting Group in conjunction with Econometer Global Capital with the aim of providing a platform for discussion of policies that should be implemented to ensure economic growth and development.
Online Reporter