Buy Zim to certify SMEs
TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
The Buy Zimbabwe is planning to certify Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for them to earn credibility in the market and enable them to create jobs in a sustainable manner, chairman Munyaradzi Hwengere has said.
“You recall that last year we set out on a path and it was essentially to support SMEs in terms of certification because it’s good to support upcoming businesses so that they have credibility on the market.
“Secondly, the issue was for us to create jobs in a sustainable manner as we took advantage of the opening of the African Continental Free Trade Area. We needed to build up our local content. As part of that we had the Buy Zimbabwe week which was successful,” he said.
Hwengwere said most Buy Zimbabwe’s activities this year would be focused on recruiting SMEs and work with all other companies large and small for the local content programme.
He said a lot of work needs to be done to promote local products in the country.
“During the (recent) Buy Zimbabwe week we also noticed a number of companies’ products are not easily identifiable as Zimbabwean products. The other thing is that all the Zimbabwean products should have the Buy Zimbabwe insignia. But, there is still so much work to be done in promoting local products,” Hwengwere said.
Government has placed some products on import restrictions as part of a strategy to narrow its trade deficit, and help revive local industries.
