THE plight of vendors and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) are set to top the agenda of next month’s Local Government Investment Conference (LOGIC 2017) being hosted by the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) as the sector is now regarded as a major player in the country’s economic turnaround strategy.
BY XOLISANI NCUBE
Event organiser Tsungai Makore, who is also Shurugwi Town Council chairperson, last week disclosed that the issue of infrastructure development for vendors and SMEs would be the major draw-card at the conference.
“This session presents an opportunity for sharing case by case studies from other countries demonstrating how other urban local authorities have harnessed their potential to develop vibrant local economies,” he said.
The inaugural conference by local authorities was held in 2016 and this year’s agenda, according to Makore, was for easy of doing business.
“Small and medium enterprises, as engines for growth, contribute to the country’s gross domestic product, to employment and to socio-economic development. Local authorities, as enablers for local economic development, need to support SMEs by facilitating access to value and supply chain,” he said.
“There is need to identify any additional information and support mechanisms that can be targeted towards SMEs to encourage their involvement in developing economies.”
Due to the collapse of the mainstream economy, it has forced many Zimbabweans into vending and this, UCAZ said, presented an opportunity for local authorities to create new economies.
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The conference will be attended by representatives from the region and abroad — both in the local governance sector and in the civil society — to exchange experiences.
“These are from the Commonwealth Local Government Forum United Kingdom; South African Local Government Association; Institute of Local Government Studies, and Centre for Local Government Advocacy from Ghana,” Makore said.
