Facilitate linkages into value chains, Govt told
GOVERNMENT should enhance efforts to facilitate linkages into value chains for Micro Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) post Covid-19.
The linkages will help promote manufacturing and export oriented activities, says Zambia Chamber of Small and Medium Business Association (ZCSMBA) Board Member, Misheck M’hango.
Mr M’hango explained that such linkages would encourage more business skills training, sensitisation on available business facilities and incentives
He was speaking in Lusaka during a virtual discussion on Zambia’s Post Covid-19 Recovery part two in his presentation on The Role of SMEs in Zambia’s Post- Covid-19 Economic Recovery.
“MSMEs also need exposure and orientation to international best practices,” Mr M’hango said.
He complained that disruption of supply paths in source countries had crippled the majority of member businesses and out rightly closed some entities.
Most members, he explained, had a very low survival thresh-hold with negative cash flows translating into inability to pay wages and meet statutory and other business obligations.
“Our members have been thrown into desperate survival mode – “anything to keep us alive at least for one more day,” Mr M’hango said.
He therefore observed the need to identify new ways of doing business.
He said using ICTs for communication and business interactions – e-government and e-commerce were cardinal.
Mr M’hango also stressed the need to identify gaps in the new business environment; move in to fill the gaps as well as aggregation, coming together to create synergies for greater impact and stronger presence.
“By their sheer numbers, MSMEs carry the bulk of the weight of national economic activity on their slender shoulders.
“However, it is among this critical mass that the highest levels of informal practice and lowest levels of knowledge and awareness are to be found; all policy formulated must be informed by this to deliberately seek to progressively overturn this negative status quo,” he said.