The Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development opened the inaugural National SMEs and Cooperatives Indaba at the Harare International Conference Centre on Wednesday, bringing together government officials, financial institutions, development partners and entrepreneurs under the theme “Towards Vision 2030: Building an Enabling Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperatives Ecosystem.”
Addressing delegates, Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Hon. Senator Monica Mutsvangwa described the gathering as a defining moment for the sector as the country implements its National Development Strategy 2. She said the transformation of SMEs and cooperatives must remain central to efforts toward Vision 2030, noting that the sector contributes at least sixty percent to gross domestic product and more than seventy percent to employment, with women accounting for over fifty-six percent of enterprise ownership.
Mutsvangwa said, “Achieving the aspirations of NDS 2 requires us to move beyond survivalist entrepreneurship towards productive, competitive and innovative enterprises that create decent jobs, add value to local resources and participate meaningfully in key value chains.” She added that building an enabling ecosystem remains a shared responsibility between government and other stakeholders, and pointed to gaps in access to affordable financing, weak financial records and limited tailored credit products as key constraints facing entrepreneurs.
The minister highlighted the scale of the cooperatives sector, which now counts more than 10,800 registered bodies representing close to three million members active in housing, agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing and finance. She cited small-scale farmers and miners as central to national output, noting their role in tobacco production and gold mining, and said small enterprises now contribute close to eighty percent of manufacturing output.
Minister of Industry and Commerce Hon. N. M. Ndlovu also addressed delegates during a ministers’ plenary session, speaking on positioning SMEs as catalysts for building competitive industrial value chains and sustainable industrial development. Minister Tatenda Mavetera and Minister Garwe were part of the panelists also presenting on their respectful ministries.
The two-day Indaba features panel discussions on bridging the financing gap for MSMEs, women-led enterprises and cooperatives, strategic partnerships between small businesses and large corporates, digital transformation and cybersecurity, and opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area. International participants include the Indian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, His Excellency B. Kumar, along with representatives from the World Bank, African Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Mutsvangwa said she looked forward to the Indaba’s outcomes shaping her ministry’s future programmes and policy direction, and confirmed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa will preside over the official opening ceremony on the second day, which will include the handover of the National MSMEs and Cooperatives Awards and a graduation ceremony.
