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Minister Sithembiso Nyoni

Leonard Ncube recently in Binga
SMALL to Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni has encouraged entrepreneurs to formalise their businesses to increase their chances of accessing funding to grow their businesses.

Speaking during an SMEs expo in Binga on Saturday, the minister said a majority of budding businesses were not benefiting from the country’s indigenisation and empowerment policies and funding programmes as they were not registered.

“I am impressed with your products. The local community should continue supporting these SMEs by buying from them while they (SMEs) should also continue seeking new markets,” she said after touring the stands.

“My ministry encourages SMEs to register their businesses and be formalised so they access markets and tenders in Government entities where 40 percent should be awarded to locals and 25 percent for SMEs.”

Binga held its first ever SMEs expo as part of efforts to empower the informal sector to drive the district’s economy. The district is largely rural and has no major industrial activity with a majority of people largely relying on fishing, informal trade and carving. The tourism sector is not fully tapped into.

The SMEs ministry and its partners – Silveira House and Christian Care – have so far trained over 200 people in Binga in vocational skills. About 70 benefiaries graduated.

Officiating at the occasion at Intengwe Centre at Manjolo Business Centre, Minister Nyoni said she was impressed with the level of skills in the district.

“This expo is a historical event in Binga as it is the first of its kind and will go long way in promoting growth and development of the district,” she said.

“Expos like this one play an important role in growth and development of SMEs as they avail an opportunity not only to expose your services and products to the market but also create a platform for you to network among yourselves and service providers.”

The minister said Binga was suffering from effects of climate change as the fish population has dropped drastically due to depleted water levels in Zambezi River. As such, she said there was a need for fishing businesses to diversify.

On display were welding, carpentry, dress making, building, bakery, upholstery, poultry, fence making, leather work, furniture, mould board ploughs, window and door frames, coffins, basketry, kapenta, bakery and poultry products.

Minister Nyoni urged the district to embrace education as the foundation of sustainable growth. She paid tribute to Silveira House and Christian Care for training people.

A total of 208 people have been trained, with 70 of these being conferred with certificates in different entrepreneurial fields after completing three years’ training.

The programme targets to train 300 people.

Mr Juliana Munsaka from Silveira House and Christian Care said five wards have since benefitted as they target the whole district.

He said: “People were lying idle and we decided to train them to contribute to Zim-Asset and so they get income for themselves. Some have sold their products to a lodge in Botswana.”

Chairman of the Binga Business Association, with over 1 000 SMEs, Mr Pilate Dube said they formed the association to ensure every sector in the district is represented.

The theme for the expo was: “Promoting SME development and growth through vocational skills training.”

@ncubeleon