By Shadreck Gurenje
President Mnangagwa has said Government will continue to accelerate the Ease of Doing Business reforms which target critical economic sectors.
Officially launching the COMMISSIONING OF THE NEW CUT RAG PROCESSORS (PVT) LIMITED PRODUCTION FACILITY in Harare, President Mnangagwa said tremendous progress has been registered in sectors such as Agriculture, Transport, Tourism, and most recently the Wholesale and Retail subsectors.
President Mnangagwa also said government under the Second Republic is entrenching a business operating environment that is consistently predictable and transparent where enterprise and innovation are rewarded.
“My Government, continues to accelerate the Ease of Doing Business reforms which target 12 sectors. To date, tremendous progress has been registered in sectors such as Agriculture, Transport, Tourism, and most recently the Wholesale and Retail subsectors.
“Numerous licences, permits, levies and fees, as well as the multiple regulatory requirements have been reviewed and streamlined. The requisite Statutory Instruments and statutes are accordingly being amended. Through this ongoing Regulatory Reform Agenda, we are determined to ensure that no investment, is hindered by bureaucratic red tape.
“We are entrenching a business operating environment that is consistently predictable and transparent, where enterprise and innovation are rewarded, and industry thrives. To bolster this thrust, the National Development Strategy 2, will soon be launched as yet another building block to our country’s continuing economic growth and transformation agenda, “said President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa also said government adopted the Zimbabwe National Artificial Intelligence Strategy to harness the benefits of emerging technologies.
“As we prepare to transition towards implementation of NDS-2, appropriate enablers, including the rehabilitation and expansion of key projects in areas such as energy, water, transport, and ICT infrastructure, remain our priority areas.
“To this end, my Government, adopted the Zimbabwe National Artificial Intelligence Strategy to harness the benefits of emerging technologies. Digital infrastructure is, therefore, being expanded to support e-commerce, automation, and smart manufacturing. Our wholistic and integrated approach will ensure that Zimbabwe’s industrial base is anchored by robust and efficient infrastructure. “Equally important will be the harnessing of digital transformation to scale up industrial efficiency through the Internet of Things, intelligent manufacturing, big data, and augmented analytics.
“The use of such advanced manufacturing technologies must herald the necessary paradigm shift from traditional manufacturing models. However, as we scale up industrialisation, I challenge industry players to be informed by our national interests and shared desire to improve the quality of life for all our people, no matter where they live,” said President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa also urged the business community to remain guided by the nation’s shared national development philosophy; Nyika inovakwa, inotongwa, inonamatirwa nevene vayo /Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhu-le-ke-lwe ngabanikazi balo.
“In our respective business and company strategies, across all sectors, let us be conscious of the need to ensure that no one and no place must be left behind. Our guiding principle remains our shared national development philosophy; Nyika inovakwa, inotongwa, inonamatirwa nevene vayo /Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhu-le-ke-lwe ngabanikazi balo.
“ Finally, I once again congratulate the Management and Staff of Cut Rag Processors, as well as stakeholders in the agriculture sector, in particular those in our tobacco industry, for their various contributions which have seen the realisation of the achievement at this Enterprise,” said President Mnangagwa.