All set for MSMEs conference

By Staff Reporter | Mar. 27, 2024

The April 8 to 10 event is being organised by the Zimbabwe Chamber of SMEs with support from its financial advisors Alinial Chartered Accountants and the Women Affairs, Community and SME Development ministry.

ALL roads lead to Chiredzi next month for the Zimbabwe Chamber of SMEs strategic conference which is expected to come up with strategies to grow the micro, small to medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector seen as a source of innovation and productivity.

Statistics showed that 3,1 million business owners and 1,7 million persons were engaged by MSMEs on full-time basis as at December 31, 2021.

Zimbabwe Chamber of SMEs national treasurer Endrew Chamunorwa said the conference would come up with a strategy to grow the MSMEs sector, identified as the agency for solving the country’s employment problems.

“They are also a source of innovation and increased productivity. The strategy is going to be based on research done on MSMEs in Zimbabwe. Changes in the economic landscape have resulted in the increase in the chances of the contribution of the sector,” Chamunorwa said.

Last Matema, Alinial Chartered Accountants business development director, said the development of SMEs would not be possible if they did not formalise the chamber which is the umbrella body that represents the constituency.

“What we have done as financial advisors is that we have formalised the chamber, though it is an ongoing process. We are going to a strategic seminar in Chiredzi where we work on a framework and strategy for the next five years after a meeting with key stakeholders within the SMEs development including the Office of the President and Cabinet and other complementary ministries,” Matema said.

“We are doing well in terms of formalising the chamber. We want to make it a proper body corporate that has the institutional capacity to represent and capacity-build the SMEs into formal businesses.”