The World Bank usually looks at economies through dark glasses, always talking about problems. Last week, however, it was a surprise when Victor Steenbergen, their senior Zimbabwe economist, gave Zimbabwe business leaders an upbeat talk. He almost sounded like he was selling the country, but with the usual banker cautions mixed in. His key point? Zimbabwe has loads of untapped potential, especially when businesses organize and invest alongside what's already happening.
Lots of Zimbabweans like to complain or think they deserve rewards for making bad business choices rather than working hard. It's refreshing when someone from outside who knows their stuff can look at our country fairly and see all the possibilities. He focused on three big areas we haven't fully developed yet: agriculture, mining, and tourism. These traditional industries dominated his presentation to manufacturers who still need to make their mark.
Farmers and food businesses should branch out into higher-value crops like fancy fruits and vegetables. If people act fast, these products can reach good markets within flying distance or by trucks and ships. We're rebuilding this industry, though we still have catching up to do compared to where we once were. Charter planes fly daily, and regular passenger flights have extra space that brings in machine parts and carries out fresh produce.
These buyers want perfect fruits, vegetables, and processed foods—this is where manufacturers come into play. Customers expect flawless products without any diseases or issues; quality is what sells. This opens up many chances, including testing foods before shipping them overseas. Plenty of Zimbabwe's farmers understand how to grow these high-quality items, creating huge opportunities.
Mining has grown incredibly in recent years, with values jumping to four times higher. Yet we've barely scratched the surface with modern minerals like lithium and platinum group metals, where Zimbabwe has some of Africa's and the world's biggest reserves. Production numbers keep rising, with local processing already making concentrates and plans for more value-adding steps by mining investors. We can pump up production significantly, even where we already show up in global top-ten charts.
Tourism happens almost entirely at Victoria Falls when we could develop much more with similar passion and know-how. One big opportunity? Convincing Falls visitors to hang around longer and check out other attractions. These include wildlife at nearby Hwange or places much further away. Foreign tourists don't stay many nights, and there's only limited room for growth based on how many people can visit the Falls each day before it gets crowded.
Tourism, mining, and farming businesses share something important: they all need lots of workers. This benefits Zimbabwe by spreading wealth and helping more people earn good money. Steenbergen agrees with the Government that private business creates real wealth. Companies need government support and infrastructure, but governments just can't run businesses well themselves.
Steenbergen talked about the headaches with permits and licenses. The Government keeps working to simplify them. Businesses, investors, and even the World Bank should speak up about what they need and how essential requirements might fit into single licenses. We must keep environmental, health, and safety rules, but these can be combined when possible for simplicity. Businesses should have clear tax rules and straightforward labor regulations.
Here's a problem: licenses and permits come from different authorities under various laws and regulations. We've made progress toward one-stop service centers but need to push further and cut unnecessary red tape. Better yet, different agencies or at least their permit offices could join forces, creating simple permits with reasonable requirements instead of piles of complicated paperwork.
Lots of Zimbabweans like to complain or think they deserve rewards for making bad business choices rather than working hard. It's refreshing when someone from outside who knows their stuff can look at our country fairly and see all the possibilities. He focused on three big areas we haven't fully developed yet: agriculture, mining, and tourism. These traditional industries dominated his presentation to manufacturers who still need to make their mark.
Farmers and food businesses should branch out into higher-value crops like fancy fruits and vegetables. If people act fast, these products can reach good markets within flying distance or by trucks and ships. We're rebuilding this industry, though we still have catching up to do compared to where we once were. Charter planes fly daily, and regular passenger flights have extra space that brings in machine parts and carries out fresh produce.
These buyers want perfect fruits, vegetables, and processed foods—this is where manufacturers come into play. Customers expect flawless products without any diseases or issues; quality is what sells. This opens up many chances, including testing foods before shipping them overseas. Plenty of Zimbabwe's farmers understand how to grow these high-quality items, creating huge opportunities.
Mining has grown incredibly in recent years, with values jumping to four times higher. Yet we've barely scratched the surface with modern minerals like lithium and platinum group metals, where Zimbabwe has some of Africa's and the world's biggest reserves. Production numbers keep rising, with local processing already making concentrates and plans for more value-adding steps by mining investors. We can pump up production significantly, even where we already show up in global top-ten charts.
Tourism happens almost entirely at Victoria Falls when we could develop much more with similar passion and know-how. One big opportunity? Convincing Falls visitors to hang around longer and check out other attractions. These include wildlife at nearby Hwange or places much further away. Foreign tourists don't stay many nights, and there's only limited room for growth based on how many people can visit the Falls each day before it gets crowded.
Tourism, mining, and farming businesses share something important: they all need lots of workers. This benefits Zimbabwe by spreading wealth and helping more people earn good money. Steenbergen agrees with the Government that private business creates real wealth. Companies need government support and infrastructure, but governments just can't run businesses well themselves.
Steenbergen talked about the headaches with permits and licenses. The Government keeps working to simplify them. Businesses, investors, and even the World Bank should speak up about what they need and how essential requirements might fit into single licenses. We must keep environmental, health, and safety rules, but these can be combined when possible for simplicity. Businesses should have clear tax rules and straightforward labor regulations.
Here's a problem: licenses and permits come from different authorities under various laws and regulations. We've made progress toward one-stop service centers but need to push further and cut unnecessary red tape. Better yet, different agencies or at least their permit offices could join forces, creating simple permits with reasonable requirements instead of piles of complicated paperwork.
