eBusiness Weekly
Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
Mining and tourism executives meet in Victoria Falls this week to discuss challenges facing the two sectors in Matabeleland North province.
The business indaba is one of many, lined up by a local economic lobby group Business Economic Empowerment Forum (BEEF) around the country’s 10 provinces to identify
challenges faced by businesspeople in respective provinces. The gathering will recommend solutions to Government.
BEEF was founded in November last year by local business people with the objective of promoting business and economic empowerment in Zimbabwe, Africa and beyond.
It support of the new dispensation’s “Zimbabwe is open for business” mantra and ease of doing business.
BEEF president Solomon Matsa said the meeting seeks to provide a platform to identify economic challenges sector by sector in each province.
He said challenges in each province were unique based on the setting of that particular province.
“We are doing consultations in all the 10 provinces to find the panacea to challenges facing business. Over the past 10 years the Zimbabwean economy has been operating as an auto pilot, which has seen a depressed investor confidence plunging the economy into doldrums due to lack of funding.
“Every province has its own challenges. Our aim is to find solutions to specific problems because we don’t want a one size fits all but would want case by case solutions,” he said.
Matabeleland North chapter is the first to roll out the programme with focus on tourism and mining sectors. Next is the Midlands where focus will be on mining and manufacturing. The theme for the event is “bringing business people together for a common cause”.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief executive Karikoga Kaseke would share the stage with tourism executives from various operators, namely Arnold Musonza of Shearwater, Warren Ncube of Zambezi Helicopter Company, Barbara Murasiranwa of Wild Horizons and representatives from the Chamber of Chinese Enterprises in Zimbabwe and Mines and Mining Development Ministry.
BEEF’s leadership comprise local and Diaspora based Zimbabweans. Its focus cuts across all sectors of the economy namely land and agriculture, mining, infrastructure and roads, energy, research and development, Information Communication and Technology.
