PM urges business to play central role

The following is an address by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to the National Economic Consultative Forum in Bulawayo on the 21^st of April 2010. 

Honourable Vice President, Joice Mujuru, All Ministers here present, The Chairman of National Economic Consultative Forum, Dr Robbie Mupawose, Captains of Business and Industry both local and international, Union Leaders, Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; 

It gives me great pleasure to be with you once again ahead of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair. This meeting allows us the opportunity not only to review the past year, but also, more importantly, to look ahead to the future. As Government and business leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that we work together to develop policies that encourage investment, growth, prosperity and hope. To take control of our destiny and aggressively determine what type of society we wish to live in and what role we wish to play in the region and the world. 

In line with developing a more accountable and transparent culture within Government, we have introduced the 2010 Government Work Programme (GWP) which replaces our original 100 Day Plan. The GWP sets out clearly what Government intends to do, and how it will be done as well as how these actions will be financed. It is a management tool employed by the Council of Ministers, which I chair, in its core function as the supervisory body on policy implementation working in tandem with line Ministries, as part of the whole-of-Government approach to ensure effective, economic and timely implementation. 

The GWP mechanism is designed to create a policy implementation convergence, whilst driving and directing other related policy frameworks. These include: the Medium-Term Plan (MTP), the Budget Macro-Economic Framework (BMEF), the 2010 Budget, Results Based Management (RBM) and the Global Political Agreement (GPA). Indeed, the GPA provides the political direction for all the key undertakings and priorities captured in the Government Work Programme. Fortunately, South African President and SADC Facilitator, Jacob Zuma, remains firmly engaged in driving the resolution of the current differences and his team was in Harare again last week as evidence of this. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Government is committed to a culture of consultation and consensus-building in policy formulation through dialogue; to provide a forum for national debate on topical economic issues. The key issue is how do we involve all Zimbabweans in this dialogue. Zimbabwe belongs to us all and we should all have equal status and equal access to the resources that this country possesses. It is in this context that the NECF plays a critical role as it serves as the best platform to marry the vision of Government and the aspirations of business and investors to forge national consensus on a shared vision for national economic development. 

The NECF was created, among other things, to ensure the attainment of socio-economic goals based on the concept of smart partnerships between the public and private sectors. It serves to create a smart partnership amongst key economic players, namely, Government, private sector, labour, civil society, academia and other stakeholders in order to enhance the socio-economic development process of Zimbabwe. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, business must play a central role in rebuilding our economy and in restoring confidence in Zimbabwe and in creating a stable, prosperous and united nation. It is important that as Government we acknowledge that we have not been able to implement policies that ensure predictability for investment in our economy. Conflicting messages and lack of consultation have created an air of uncertainty in our investment climate and it is my goal to eradicate this in order to ensure confidence and promote national growth. 

Indeed, as Prime Minister, my vision is to ensure that every Zimbabwean participates and benefits from all the decisions that Government implements. That way can we all claim a share of the abundant wealth that Zimbabwe is endowed with. It is unfortunate that one year after the formation of the transitional Government we are still talking about negotiations and implementation of an agreement signed in 2008. In addition, we continue to be still distracted by incidences of violence, farm disruptions and other negative and illegal practices that serve to mar our image as a viable investment destination. In this vein I wish to acknowledge and echo the call by President Mugabe at last weekend’s Independence celebrations to promote the values of tolerance and non-violence. 

We must continue to strive to ensure that we develop a collective national resolve to cooperate and create opportunities and partnerships which will enable our people to benefit from the vast wealth potential which this country possesses. Harnessing our natural resources combined with our well-educated and resourceful human capital will bring Zimbabwe back to its feet again. An efficient monitoring system for all our natural resources is critical at this stage. 

Therefore, it is essential that we utilize to best national effect the resources from Marange’s Chiadzwa Diamond fields and from other mining ventures to ensure that Zimbabwe, and not a few individuals, benefit from these treasures. Government is aware of the fact that a substantial amount of revenue from mining continues to be lost through corruption, smuggling and other illegal activities to the detriment of national growth. This is a situation that will not be allowed to continue and Government is working to ensure that the mining industry plays its full role in resource mobilisation. 

Zimbabwe needs regional and international partners to bring in the much needed foreign markets, finance, technologies, skills and ideas, which is only possible if all key stakeholders work together as partners committed to our nation’s development. In this regard, I launched the Zimbabwe-EU dialogue last June to facilitate the re-engagement process to bring Zimbabwe back into the family of nations. A ministerial team is expected to leave the country any time from now to engage with friends and partners in Europe and this is the first step towards rejoining the global family. 

To be fully received by other nations, however, we need to remove measures that we have placed on our own people and the measures that we have placed on business and the investing public. As we work towards business freedom, let us also debate freely and constructively the indigenisation laws that have been put on the table by the Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, Honourable Savior Kasukuwere. I am satisfied with the consensus emerging in Government from the ongoing consultation process which has been extended to allow the Minister to solicit input on sectoral thresholds and other concerns as expressed by business. 

In turn, I urge the business community to participate in this consultative process and submit your contributions on the regulations so that when we finally implement the law it will encapsulate international best-practices on empowerment. Laws of any nation must promote development, cohesion and promote the rights of our citizens. The laws should not unnecessarily criminalise our people or investors who take the political and economic risks upon themselves to bring in foreign direct investment. 

As Prime Minister, I am committed to ensuring that the concerns of business are considered in the new legislation and ensure that empowerment is broad-based and not just for an elite few. Ladies and Gentlemen, my Office is seized with efforts to build the critical mass for business. I am committed to ensuring that business flourishes and I urge you to join me in demonstrating to Zimbabweans and the international community that we are taking steps towards a return to normalcy and slowly becoming ripe for investment. 

Let us have one common vision and promote the policies that ensure that business growth is the priority based upon a firm foundation of rights that are protected by the State to the benefit of all. Let us work together towards building a future where hope is abundant, our children’s opportunities are boundless and guaranteed and where business and investment alike can plan and grow with certainty. 

I thank you.

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