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Bimha announces competitiveness commission board

Business
INDUSTRY and Commerce minister Mike Bimha yesterday announced the National Competitiveness Commission Board (NCCB), saying the economy needs to start running, as it can “no longer afford to walk”.

INDUSTRY and Commerce minister Mike Bimha yesterday announced the National Competitiveness Commission Board (NCCB), saying the economy needs to start running, as it can “no longer afford to walk”.

BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA

Minister of Industry and Commerce Mike Bimha
Minister of Industry and Commerce Mike Bimha

Bimha said the 11-member NCCB board’s sole mandate would be to address the cost structures in the country that have led to uncompetitive pricing and stagnated growth of industry and business, among other mandates.

“I think we are on the right track,” he told a press briefing in Harare.

“But I think there is a lot of work to be done and I have no doubt in my view that the board, with the support of all the government agencies and the support of the private sector, will get us to where we need to industrialise.

“As you know, because of the past performance of the economy, we need to run. We cannot afford to walk.

“We need to run and to also catch up. So there is a lot of work to be done for us to catch up because, as we try to catch up, others are not waiting, they are also running. So we need double our efforts.”

Bimha said he would be making another appointment soon, a nominee from Buy Zimbabwe, which would bring the number of board members to 12.

The NCCB board will be chaired by industrialist Kumbirai Katsande and his deputy is Tracey Mutaviri.

Other members of the board are Demetri Psillos, Gibson Chigumira, Ellen Ruparanganda, Elizabeth Nyagura, Charles Mujajati, Maureen Chitewe, Divine Ndlukula, Charles Msipa and Edwin Murwira.

Katsande said the government’s commitment to finding solutions to the cost structures was evident in that the board had eight members from the private sector.

Zimbabwe slipped a place down on the Global Competitiveness Index to 126 in the 2016/17 ranking from 125 in the 2015/16 period out of 138 countries.