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Busisa Moyo

Prosper Ndlovu Business Editor
BULAWAYO industries fully subscribe to Zim-Asset as a sound blueprint giving direction towards economic growth and would work with the government in bringing the city’s industry back to its feet.Speaking during the Chronicle Business breakfast meeting held in Bulawayo yesterday, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) president for the Matabeleland Chapter Busisa Moyo, said captains of industry subscribe to the blueprint’s ideals despite criticism by some.

“Zim-Asset is critical for business in Zimbabwe. Despite the criticism by some, as businesses we’ve agreed to be part of it (Zim-Asset). I’m a co-chair of the beneficiation cluster and we’ve achieved a lot of results from these interactions,” said Moyo who is the chief executive officer for the giant Bulawayo-based agro-processing firm, United Refineries Limited.

“Right now we’re crafting a blue-print on value addition and urge all our colleagues to join us.”

Moyo said while the move by the government to prioritise bulk infrastructure development was critical for business, equal attention should be given to capacitating the commercial sector as well.

He identified critical issues that businesses expect regarding infrastructure development, which he said would leverage quick economic growth.

“Our infrastructure must be competitively priced. There is a need to attend to the costs of access to infrastructure such as rail, road and electricity as these are critical for us.

“We also want a commercially relevant infrastructure that is reliable,” Moyo added.

“We need a special fund to help companies to re-tool. Infrastructure funding should move with corresponding funding for business activity.”

He urged the government to ensure infrastructure projects were comparatively bench marked to ensure local businesses benefit.

Moyo said there was a need to remove certain prohibitive fees in line with regional trends as these stifle investment and erode companies’ profitability.

He said upgrading of roads and railway infrastructure through the support from China was fundamental for business.

Moyo, however, complained that the implementation of the special economic zones (SEZ) was taking too long at a time when companies continue to face challenges with some closing shop and laying off workers.