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Minister Mike Bimha

Prosper Ndlovu, Business Editor
INDUSTRY and Commerce Minister Dr Mike Bimha has called on the private sector to play a leading role in exploiting opportunities in the country and assist in turning around the economy.

Addressing delegates at the International Business Conference at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) yesterday, the minister said the responsibility to foster economic growth and create jobs rested on the private sector and that Government’s role was to create an enabling doing business atmosphere.

“The private sector must take a lead in driving industrialisation in the country. There are interesting developments in our region this year and a few months ago the SADC Extra-Ordinary Summit on Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap made a lot of resolutions including the need for the private sector to take a lead in industrialisation,” he told the delegates.

“We have resolved that at all our Sadc meetings the private sector in the region should take part and make input on discussions that heads of states make.”

Dr Bimha said the private sector participation gap was also noted during the recent regional summit in Rwanda, which also resolved to include the private sector and the academia in future engagements.

He said an inclusive approach was crucial in ensuring success in meeting regional economic goals and particularly achieving the African Union Agenda 263 on industrialisation.

The minister said the inaugural African Economic Forum also stressed the need for private sector involvement in key economic decision processes as a way to achieve sustainable growth.

“The private sector is no longer a spectator but they should take the lead in economic development. Even in the Zim-Asset agenda, it is the private sector that should play a leading role,” said Dr Bimha.

The minister’s sentiments come at a time when Government is already is seized with implementing a number of investment reforms aimed at enhancing the ease of doing business and consolidating the gains achieved so far.