Create conducive environment for SMEs, councils urged

LOCAL authorities have been encouraged to create a conducive operating environment for Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as the sector plays a critical role in the economy, Haggie Rand Zimbabwe Executive Chairman, Dr Shepherd Chawanda has said.

Dr Chawanda told delegates at the recently held 12th edition of the Kwekwe Expo Business Conference that had Bulawayo City Council not availed operating space, there are possibilities that the firm would still be a small entity.

The Business Conference brings together the corporate world to strategise on how to develop Kwekwe.

This year’s event was held under the theme “Building Sustainable Bridges for Economic Development”.
SMEs have become a big economic force in the country and across the globe but most of them are still struggling to secure lucrative markets.

In Zimbabwe, the Government expects SMEs to play a pivotal role in transforming the economy towards an upper middle-income status by 2030.

This entails scaling up support for the sector by providing finance and working space to enable the sector to increase the production of quality goods and assist the sector in securing markets.

It is for this reason that the Government under the Second Republic recognises the role played by the sector and availed resources to upscale its growth.

Said Dr Chawanda, “SMEs are supposed to contribute to the national economy and the growth of the city of Kwekwe. For that to happen, the local authority should provide a stable and conducive environment to thrive,” said Dr Chawanda.

His company, Sheprco Investments which recently bought 75 percent of shares in Haggie Rand Zimbabwe, started small before being granted a place to operate from by Bulawayo City Council creating a conducive environment for growth.

“Had Bulawayo not given us the piece of land, we could not have grown. I give the same challenge to Kwekwe City and other cities that you should not chase away vendors from the street but give them space to operate from and you will witness them grow. Their growth will benefit both the business owners and the council in terms of revenue collection,” he said.

Dr Chawanda also urged corporates to leverage on local resources and opportunities. “Let us take advantage of the locally available resources and use them for the growth of our business and our economy,” he said.

Econet Wireless Midlands General Manager Mr Lovemore Magaya challenged the SMEs to make use of digital platforms to market their businesses.

“Technological advancement is at the forefront of the development of any company in the world, especially SMEs. The use of the internet has dominated companies which are now using digital marketing to reach out to their target customers,” he said,Kwekwe Mayor, Dr Henry Madzorera said it was part of the incoming council’s mandate to ensure that SMEs have places to operate from.

“We will support our SMEs so that they operate their business from safe places. Back then, SMEs used to be a source of revenue and we want to bring that era back where every SME is registered and is contributing towards the growth of the city,” he said.-chronicle