By Margaret Kamba
Minister of Industry and Commerce Dr Sithembiso Nyoni says the participation of all Bulawayo stakeholders will make Bulawayo great again.
Her remarks were made during a breakfast interface with the Bulawayo Business Community during which she highlighted His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa's development roadmap for the next five years.
"I am here with an aim of us to return intuthu ziyathunqa to its status although we won't do it the old way because business is now more digital. His Excellency President Mnangagwa called for a meeting during which he enunciated the roadmap on how he would like to bring development. He said he doesn't want a silo mentality or compartmental issues but that we must work together and have a we mentality rather than those others mentality. He also said he doesn't want shefuism and therefore we must go out there and be inclusive and work together to develop our country. This is why I am here calling for these meetings in the spirit of trying to work together to bring Bulawayo back to its glory days."
She alluded to two separate engagements with the Minister of State for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Cde Judith Ncube and the Bulawayo Mayor Councillor David Coltart whom she said agreed to work together.
"We together as this triangle will make Bulawayo come to the glory of yester years if not better. Close collaboration between Government and business can leapfrog the industry."
She urged the business community to contribute to the review process of policies so that they own them.
Various stakeholders who attended the meeting among them representatives from the Zimbabwe Chamber of Commerce ZNCC, Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries CZI, and Small to medium enterprises urged the Minister to promote a monthly round table dialogue, transparent and honest dialogue and policy congruence among others.