GOVERNMENT has reaffirmed its commitment to fair market practices and strategic performance-linked tariffs that protect key industries without stifling competition or innovation.
The commitment by the government came at the inaugural National Tariff and Competition Conference launched by the Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC) recently, which aimed to promote fair markets, strategic tariffs and an enabling environment for businesses.
Speaking at the conference, Industry and Commerce deputy minister Rajeshkumar Modi said Zimbabwe’s evolving trade and industrial framework was anchored on one clear principle: protection must drive competitiveness, not dependency.
“Government remains committed to using strategic tariff and trade remedies to nurture domestic industries, safeguard jobs and promote value addition,” Modi said.
“Support for industries will be targeted, time-bound and performance-linked, fostering competitiveness rather than dependency.”
He said Zimbabwe’s industrial renewal was not about shielding companies from competition but about equipping them to compete globally, under the African Continental Free Trade Area and beyond.
“We are preparing our economy for a future where innovation, technology and efficiency, not protection alone determine competitiveness.
“Protection will be granted where it is justified but it will not be indefinite. The aim is to help industries reach a competitive threshold where they can stand on their own on both regional and global markets,” Modi said.
- Teachers, other civil servants face off
- Veld fire management strategies for 2022
- Magistrate in court for abuse of power
- Vungu Dam water treatment and irrigation project takes off
Keep Reading
Comesa Competition Commission chief executive Willard Mwemba, echoed government’s position, stressing that competition policy and industrial policy are not in conflict but are mutually reinforcing when properly aligned.
Competition policy encourages efficiency, innovation and transparency. When it works hand in hand with industrial policy, it becomes a catalyst for sustainable industrial growth rather than a restraint,” Mwemba said.
Drawing parallels with South Korea’s deliberate support for Samsung and Kenya’s oversight of M-Pesa, where targeted government support combined with competition oversight produced globally-competitive firms, he warned against long-term protectionism, which he said bred inefficiency and drained public resources.
“Industrial policy should not be a shield for inefficiency. It should be a springboard, a platform to lift firms to a level where they can compete through efficiency and innovation,” he said.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Industry and Commerce, Clemence Chiduwa, highlighted Parliament’s legislative, oversight and representative roles, emphasising that public interest should guide policy and law-making. He stressed the need for an environment that allows local champions to graduate to regional champions, noting that Zimbabwean businesses currently face high operational and compliance costs, which hinder competitiveness.
CTC chief economist and head of mergers Calistar Dzenga, clarified the commission’s role in balancing the creation of national champions with the prevention of anti-competitive practices.
Using the CBZ and ZB Financial Holdings transaction as an example, she said while the merger was approved, conditions were imposed to ensure competition across multiple markets.
“Scale and concentration should be rewards for efficiency and innovation, not a result of exclusion, abuse of dominance or killer acquisitions,” Dzenga said.
