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In a statement,  West Foods chief executive officer Ken Sharpe said greater allocation of the budget from Government and international community must be for infrastructural support.
“Greater allocation of the budget from Government and international community must be emphatic on the support of roads, electricity, water and housing.”

The country is characterised by poor infrastructure which is another contributing factor to the lack of investment in the country.
He said he wished for an improved 2012 which is characterised by vast economic growth.
“My view is that 2011 was a year of preparation on many fronts for us and despite the growth in GDP, the economy remains tight and consumer spending power limited.

“The capital and debt available from banks is not what it needs to be and continued sanctions are not helping our country either,” he said.
He said there must be capital flows to the banks and the increased ability to borrow at productive interest rates.
At the moment there are no available cheap lines of credit making it difficult for most companies to operate and expand their businesses.

This has led to the stagnant growth of many companies thereby making it difficult for the country’s economy to quickly recover.
Mr Sharpe said the uncertainty of elections was greatly affecting businesses as they cannot make major investment decisions.
“Businesses need clarity on the next election date which brings certainty to the business community,” he said.

However, he said 2011 was a year of preparation on many business strategies for his company.
“We have managed to survive another year and have initiated the early stages of many exciting projects that will start to show fruition in 2012 and 2013. Delays from things that we have no control over have been frustrating at times but I remain confident that all stakeholders have the national interests of the country at heart and hence we will overcome the difficulties in 2012.”

He said their major highlights in 2012 included the launch of the Mall of Zimbabwe, getting the airport highway project  off the ground and the acquisition of Red Star (now West Star).
“The launch of the Mall of Zimbabwe was a major accomplishment for us, as was getting the airport highway project out of the ground and lastly the acquisition of Red Star (now West Star) in which we are proud to be able to offer our customers shares in West Star as per the indigenisation policy of the country.

“This is a unique loyalty incentive scheme whereby we give our customers one percent of the purchases back in the form of shares,” he said.
He said his company had new projects which are meant to be operational by year end.

“Last week I counted 16 new projects for 2012 of which I hope to have at least half of them operational by the end of the year.”
He said the economic outlook was progressively positive yet the pace will be determined by how quickly the election issue can be finalised and how much capital and foreign direct investment (FDI) the country can attract.