ZNCC gets new president

resolution passed at the Chamber’s annual general meeting here.
Prior to his appointment, Mr Binha was ZNCC vice president and he takes over from Mr Trust Chikohora.
Announcing the development to journalists on Wednes-day Mr Chikohora said the business representative body’s executive had resolved to appoint Mr Binha as the president for the forthcoming year.
The ZNCC annual congress and AGM started on a high note on Wednesday as businesspeople from different sectors gathered to discuss critical issues relating to economic development of the country.
The four-day congress that ends today is running under the theme “Economic transformation challenges: Ma-pping the way forward.”
Outgoing ZNCC president Mr Chikohora told delegates at the conference that it is critical for business people and Government to come together in addressing issues affecting economic development.
“There is need for the business sector and the Government to address challenges affecting economic growth.
“Significant financial resources are required for infrastructure rehabilitation in energy, telecomms, road and rail, air transport, education and health,” said Mr Chikohora.
He also said there is need for a framework to achieve sustainable economic growth and development with a bias towards solving the capital constraints and boosting industry.
Mr Chikohora said there is need to review the indigenisation programme to ensure that it brings about real empowerment.
“There is no dispute on the need for empowerment, but how the process is undertaken is critical.
“The measures, if implemented as presently structured, may succeed in indigenising, but will not empower the majority of the people. Sustainable empowerment implies that we must revisit the building blocks that have underpinned and sustained this disempowerment and thus create new solid foundations for durable empowerment as a process,” he said.
Officially opening the congress, Economic Planning and Investment Promotion minister Tapiwa Mashakada said there is need to tackle economic challenges especially the issue of funding and energy.
“Government is doing its best to unlock lines of credit and is currently pursuing a deal with South Africa to get a financial package to help businesses.
“The major problem is if these facilities are available few people have access to these funds,” he said.
Minister Mashakada also highlighted the need to solve energy challenges in the country as this is greatly hampering development in all sectors of the economy particularly manufacturing.
“Energy is our greatest down side. We have an installed capacity of 1 960 megawatts against the national demands of 2 200 megawatts,” he said.
Minister Mashakada said there is need to diversify on the sources of growth, as it was not good for an economy to focus on one source of growth.
“We also need to invest in new technology and revamp our technology in the same way countries like China and Malaysia did it. We must pay attention to parastatal reform and there is need for new players to work in parastatals like the National Railways of Zimbabwe, the Grain Marketing Board and Noczim,” he added.
He said debt was one of the biggest impediments hampering transformation of the country’s economy.
Regional speaker from Zambia, Mr Chance Kabaye who is President of Zambia Association of Manufacturers encouraged Government to put in place systems that fight corruption and create synergies with other regional governments.
“There is need for mutual trust in regional co-operation investment. You have to exploit each other’s competitive advantage since as a country you cannot develop on your own,” he said.