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Minister of Industry and Commerce Mike Bimha

Dumisani Nsingo in Victoria Falls
INDUSTRY and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha says a draft National Competitiveness Commission (NCC) Bill will be submitted to the Attorney General for review next week before approval by Parliament.

Officially opening the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce annual congress here yesterday, Bimha said consultations on the Bill had been completed and recommendations approved by Cabinet.

The setting up of the NCC follows a study on the Cost Driver Analysis of the Zimbabwean Economy undertaken by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce that recommended an improvement in the ease of doing business to achieve economic growth.

“The recommendations were accepted and adopted by Cabinet resulting in the setting up of a Cabinet Standing Committee on Competitiveness whose membership comprises all Economic Ministries. This means that all issues affecting business competitiveness will be quickly expedited by Cabinet and dealt with in a holistic manner,” Bimha said.

This Commission would among other things be responsible for leading the business reforms agenda through carrying out key functions such as continuously monitoring the cost drivers in the business and economic environment, and advice on measures to be taken to address current and emerging cost challenges.

It will review all new business regulations and provide recommendations on their impact to the cost of doing business and competitiveness and recommend amendments and repeals of old regulations that heap unnecessary burden on business.

“As I speak my ministry has completed stakeholders’ consultations on a bill to establish the NCC and will next week forward a draft bill to the Attorney General’s Office before it is tabled in Parliament during this current sitting.

“In addition to setting up the NCC, I think you’ll recall that in 2014 my Ministry set up a Minister’s Advisory Committee on the Ease of Doing Business. This Committee, which is made up of businesspeople and other experts recommended policies which the Ministry took to Cabinet and some were adopted and implemented,” Bimha added.

He said as a result a number of measures were being implemented by the government towards improving the cost of doing business in Zimbabwe.

“It’s out of these efforts that in 2014, Zimbabwe moved seven up the ladder from the previous year. This is a welcome development for Zimbabwe and we should applaud ourselves for it and in a way this should be used as leverage for us to continue improving,” said Bimha.

More work needs to be done on the ease of starting a business, dealing with construction permits, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts as well as resolving insolvency.