The Sunday Mail
Lincoln Towindo Senior Reporter
The Zimbabwe Special Economic Zones Authority (Zimseza) is crafting a 100-day Rapid Results Action Plan to immediately operationalise at least three SEZs in line with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s directive.
President Mnangagwa has identified SEZs as critical to attracting investment and boosting exports. Treasury is considering a US$16,7 million development funding request to establish water, power, road and rail infrastructure at proposed SEZs at Harare’s Sunway City and in Victoria Falls.
Zimseza board chair Dr Gideon Gono told The Sunday Mail: “Economic industrial zones must focus on available industrial infrastructures in virtually all centres, especially in Bulawayo, and give them a facelift, retrofit and give them new direction, attract new investors and get going since the infrastructure is already there and these factories fit into an already defined and approved industrial zone with no need for new environmental impact studies, new applications for sewage, water and electricity connections other than upgrading them.
“That way, you get the factories fired up quickly while new SEZs are coming up, which may take two to three years to fire up. This way, the concept of SEZs begins to realise fruition earlier than if we wait for new industrial zones to come up.
“Therefore, the pronouncements from both the President, Cde ED Mnangagwa, and Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa, on SEZs are all welcome statements and instructive in terms of direction. My board is already putting together its own set of deliverables for the first 100 days of ED-nomics to be presented once ready.”
President Mnangagwa’s administration is seized with rejuvenating the economy through a plethora of interventions targeted at improving Zimbabwe’s competitiveness and export capacity.
In his inauguration speech, President Mnangagwa said establishment of SEZs would be accelerated to attract investment and boost exports.
In his 2018 National Budget Statement, Minister Chinamasa said Government was mobilising resources for SEZs’ infrastructure.
