ZIMBABWE has over the past year hosted at least six major international conferences, primarily on investment. More than a dozen local ones on rebranding, Public-Private sector Partnerships, taxation, women etcetera have been held over the same period as efforts to come up with homegrown economic solutions move into the overdrive.

This was always to be expected as the country charted a new path with the new economic dispensation that brought with it the multiple currency trading system and political congruency via the Global Political Agreement.

There was need for a meeting of minds and sharing of ideas from various perspectives and schools of thought to get the economy back on track.

The attendance has been superb and the presentations first-class as stakeholders enunciate the economic challenges at stake while also offering possible solutions in most instances. You can never fault the intelligence and wisdom resident in Zimbabweans when it comes to such issues.

Well-thought out documents, strategies, recommendations and other such have come out of the meetings as men and women from this motherland seek to restore the economy back to its former glory.

Zimbabwe’s economy is largely expected to grow by at least 7 percent this year, a feat that is achievable with co-ordinated efforts from all stakeholders. Mining, tourism and agriculture are some of the sectors expected to post double-digit growth.

Therefore, stakeholders will need to adopt and implement recommendations agreed upon at these meetings.

Half-hearted or piece-meal efforts will recede the economy and yet the current environment, barring the misconceptions on the indigenisation law, among others, bodes well for growth.

So many implementable ideas with potential to change the economic complexion have come out of these big conferences that have demonstrated the world’s appetite to do business with Zimbabwe.

However, this country has largely been found wanting when it comes to implementation and I sincerely hope a few years down the line we will not be shaking dust off some of these glossy documents if they run the danger of being stashed away as just good-for-the-library pieces of work.

But I must admit that over the past few months I have witnessed spirited efforts to apply some of the recommendations.

A case in point would be the efforts by the Zimbabwe Investment Authority to come up with a one-stop shop for investors as opposed to the current cumbersome process that has often discouraged well-meaning investors.

Approval and registration processes that involve the registrar of companies, tax authorities, the National Social Security Authority, exchange control, local authorities, Home Affairs etc will now be simplified to reduce turnaround time for investment applications.

ZIA itself is being restructured to become more effective. Instead of the previous two months, projects will be approved within three days.

This is a swift response from Government as it takes into account concerns by investors. The role played by foreign direct investment in this economy cannot be over-emphasised.

Government has also moved in to reduce congestion, particularly at the Beitbridge border post to allow faster movement of traffic between Zimbabwe and its largest trading partner-South Africa.

Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara has been very vocal about rebranding Zimbabwe. I am not too sure if the energy he exhibits on this issue has been replicated by other stakeholders.

He recently attended the World Economic Summit in Davos as part of the campaign to sell the Zimbabwe brand.

More concerted effort is required in this instance.

Last year DPM Thokozani Khupe hosted a conference for women and we hope indications of some finance facilities for the previously disadvantaged women will come to fruition.

I notice women have had a raw deal in terms of having their voice heard in the constitution-making process but they have the voices of the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development Dr Olivia Muchena and company to contend with.

Another outstanding area is the amendment of the Mines and Minerals Act to induce efficiency in the sector. The process has been ongoing but not much progress has been made in this regard since the September Mining Indaba.

Issues to with royalties and how they should benefit communities and ownership, among others, need to be clarified.

The mining sector is billed to expand by 40 percent but the figure may not be achieved if the mining regulations and attendant challenges are not taken care of. The diamond story also need clarity

The majority of investors coming Zimbabwe’s way have demonstrated their desire to pour billions of dollars in the sector. What, with the abundance of minerals such as platinum, chrome, gold, coal, diamonds etc. Who would not want to get a truckload of this mineral or the other.

The Great Dyke is yearning for more attention.

The Ministry of Mines is thus expected to actively consider updating the mining regulations.

The tourism industry, particularly the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and its partners should be commended for the visible efforts being undertaken to market Zimbabwe.

Although we may not necessarily agree with some of their strategies, they have made spirited efforts over the past year to place Zimbabwe back on the world map and these initiatives have yielded results.

The various awards harnessed over the past few months bear testimony. The sector is still "work in progress" so we hope Minister Walter Mzembi and team will not become too complacent too soon.

The Professional Women Executives and Business Women’s Forum(Proweb) last year hosted trade and investment conferences with the Business Women of South Africa (Bwasa) and Wimphold.

We understand that a number of initiatives have been undertaken as a result of these meetings and there has been an exchange of ideas between Zimbabwean Women and their SA counterparts.

These should yield visible results as women seek to play their part in this economy.

Zimbabwe is full of opportunities which need exploiting.

Only last week chief executives attended a roundtable organised by KM Financial Solutions, headed by Mr Kenias Mafukidze, where chief executives exchanged notes. A Chinese economic expert also told the story of how the Asian giant turned around its economy. That country managed double-digit growth figures based on home-grown strategies.

Zimbabwe can follow suit. More latitude will need to be handed to business and other stakeholders to do that which they know how.

For want of space I could highlight a number of recommendations that are still to be followed through but Government and the private sector will need to audit themselves and plug loopholes where necessary.

Zesa, National Railways of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company, among others, are sitting on huge volumes of documents from which they can sieve out short-term, medium term and long term strategies which they can apply to make life easier for businesses that have been hamstrung by poor service from these potentially efficient parastatals.

Where some of the recommendations are now outdated, a bit of panel-beating can do the trick.

We would not want a situation where conferences are mere talkshops. Debates, discussions or recommendations should benefit the economy in a more practical way.

As a country we should also avoid the danger of having too many of these meetings because more energy should be applied towards the practical aspect of things.

Zimbabwe has the wherewithal to become a regional powerhouse once more. The economy is built on a solid foundation which has proved too solid to break.

Imagine this country has gone through a decade of challenges but it has remained standing. Let’s put the brickforces, pillars and all the works that will turn the economy into a major force to reckon with.

In God I trust!

l My email: victoria.ruzvidzo@zimpapers.co.zw

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