GOVERNMENT is concerned by the lack of urgency in some
ministries, which is derailing reforms on ease of doing business. The measures
are aimed at creating a conducive environment to turn Zimbabwe into a
competitive destination of choice. This was said by Chief Secretary to the
President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda yesterday while launching the
2020-2021 Edition of the of Ease of Doing Business Reform Programme.
Dr Sibanda said it was imperative that “we step up all our
efforts in order to realise the meaningful investment that we dearly yearn
for”.
“The attitude by some Government ministries in lacking
urgency to resolve outstanding bottlenecks is regrettable, to say the least.
Acting lackadaisically when dealing with economic reforms of national interest
is a complete departure from the agreed Government investment drive,” said Dr
Sibanda.
“This, I must say, is totally unacceptable under the New
Dispensation. I wish to remind colleagues that these reforms are strategic in
nature for our economic revival and development as a nation in this competitive
global economy. By their nature, they constitute a core element of your
performance assessment for your tenure of office.
“As we embark upon another phase of Ease of Doing Business
reforms implementation, I therefore impress upon you to lead from the front in
championing the change we all aspire in order to support the existing business
as well as attracting the much needed domestic and foreign investment.”
The private sector has raised concern over what appears to
be lack of urgency in some ministries to resolve the outstanding bottlenecks in
the Ease of Doing business reforms.
There are worries over delays in issuance of requisite
permits leading to delays or cancellation of orders by suppliers or customers.
Dr Sibanda said such delays were contrary to the spirit and
intent of improving the business environment.
In the first phase of ease of doing business reforms,
Government identified 14 laws that needed to be reviewed, with eight of them
having been passed.
Some of the passed laws include the Public Procurement and
Disposal of Public Assets Act, and the Movable Property Securities Interests
Act.
The reform process commenced in 2015.
As the reforms gather pace, the Zimbabwe Investment and
Development Agency (ZIDA), has since been set up to ensure investors do not
move from pillar to pillar when they come into the country.
The Second Republic has also established two commercial
courts in Harare and Bulawayo as part of the reform programme.
In addition to the legislative and institutional reforms,
some administrative procedures have also been reviewed and mainstreamed to reduce
the attendant bottlenecks.
The developments in line with President Mnangagwa’s
“Zimbabwe is Open for Business” mantra.
Dr Sibanda said improving the ease of doing business was
high on the national socio-economic development agenda to achieve targets as
set out in the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP).
The TSP is short-term economic blueprint that runs from
October 2018 to 2020.
Under the TSP, Government is correcting the economic
imprudence of the previous dispensation, which include fiscal and monetary
indiscipline and distortions in the foreign exchange market, among others.
Said Dr Sibanda: “Pursuant to the attainment of Vision
2030, the reform programme seeks to create a conducive and supportive business
environment and make Zimbabwe a competitive destination of choice for investors
in line with the mantra ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business’.”
Dr Sibanda said there was need for “maximum effort” in the
reform exercise if the country was to improve the investment climate. Presently, Zimbabwe ranks 155th out of 189 global
economies.
But neighbours South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia are
ranked 82, 86 and 87 respectively.
To achieve the desired level of national socio-economic
development, Dr Sibanda said there was urgent need for a shared vision and
collective responsibility involving the Government, private sector, development
partners and non-state actors. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment