Oliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has set up an interdepartmental committee to look at improving the ease of doing business in the city in line with the Government’s thrust to lure investors.

The Government has recognised the need for critical investment in the country to achieve sustainable economic growth and create jobs for thousands of Zimbabweans.

Against this background, Zimbabwe has announced a raft of reforms to accelerate economic recovery in the short to medium term. “With regards to the ease of doing business in line with the Government’s thrust, we’ve set up an interdepartmental committee to look at improving the ease of doing business in the city.

“The main focus of the ease of doing business initiative is to improve the country’s image in terms of the time frames for processes and procedures, levies and tariffs in respect of property rights and regulatory frameworks right from the onset one intends to set up a business,” said BCC’s acting development officer Mr Brian Hlongwane while briefing the media at the council’s chambers yesterday.

In support of the ease of doing business initiative, he said BCC has reduced the number of stations that building plans would have to go through before approval.

Mr Hlongwane said this was meant to reduce the timeframe the city council takes in approving infrastructure projects.

“We’re reducing the number of stations that the building plan will go through. Last time it was going through the town planning, valuation, water and sewerage and sometimes fire brigade.

“We’ve now said that building plans must be submitted electronically. That enables the building plan to be found in any department; in other words it will be looked at the same time and any comments arising from that department will then be collated into one document,” he said.

Mr Hlongwane said BCC was also proposing reducing building plans fees by about 50 percent.

“Another proposal is for fees for re-submission of building plans.

“Sometimes building plans do expire and in the past what we’ve been doing, if a plan was submitted at may be $100; for re-submission we’ll still charge the developer the same amount ($100). But we’re saying the processes are much less when you resubmit, so we’re reducing by about 15 percent,” he said.

The country is angling for a top 20 position from 155 in the global ease of doing business ranking underpinned by a number of measures aimed at facilitating economic growth and development.

@okazunga

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