Lets wake up and make things happen
AS long as we continue to write and talk about what needs to be done for our economy to get back on track, we are quickly becoming mere storytellers.
For a revolutionary, strategic and transformational economic turnaround, there is need to be like foot soldiers, patronising areas that need attention rather than spending the scarce resources having endless meetings, business seminars and expos discussing things that we don’t mean.
Zimbabwe’s economic emancipations needs a collective and honest approach from all stakeholders. We need to start to export more than we import and that calls for a lot of work and mind-set changes.
It’s time that we talk less and do more of what needs to be done for the economic emancipation of our country.
Why should we be comfortable putting on suits that are imported from Turkey and other far or Middle East countries? Do you know that there has been and is still some talk in these funny talk shows by whoever of importing toothpicks from abroad?
It’s a long list of things that we can talk about that are being imported which are simple to make and we are better positioned to be producing them ourselves and export and earn foreign currency.
Let’s stop mere talks and start to make things happen. Have we ever been serious in our entrepreneurship and business discussions? There is a strong and live conviction that we can be better as a country and as an economy. We have all that it takes as a country to be where we must be. We just need to be more serious and honest in everything that we do.
Let’s be serious
We can do better as the business community if we seriously, genuinely and honestly engage for the betterment of ourselves, societies and the country at large. According to The Patriot of July 21, 2016, a question was asked as to why Zimbabwe should continue to import toothpicks.
Is the manufacturing process of toothpicks too technical and impossible from our motherland that we continue spending millions of dollars importing toothpicks?
We talk of trade deficit every now and then, while we are collectively helping each other create the deficit. Can we please own up as a country? We are seeing the respected honourables strolling happily in Italian and Turkey imported suites and yet we have numerous universities and poly-techs offering fashion and fabrics programmes up to Doctorate levels.
Why are these failing to design suits that quench our appetite? Our propensity to spend our hard earned monies outside the country is too much as a nation. We surely need a deliverance, an urgent transformational process so that we can stop committing such economic sins and start rebuilding our own country. We have everything it takes except a serious mind-set.
Entrepreneurs lets step out
In recent times, we have seen a number of serious entrepreneurs making it on the African continent. We have the Dangotes, the Devine Dhlukulas, the Masiyiwas and others. These have patronised their niches and have contributed immensely in their areas. Can we not have others join these determined and dedicated cadres in other areas that needs serious attention?
The biggest challenge we have is the conformity paralysis. We have grown in environments where our forefathers used to send their farm produce to the Grain Marketing Board and other markets unprocessed and we inherited such bad practices. Sweet potatoes are being produced in large quantities in rural Zimbabwe and no one is thinking of value addition on them, make dried crisps and nicely package them for local and export market.
This last season, I have seen farmers piling water melons by the road side, sending them to the market unprocessed. Can’t we squeeze these and bottle the juice (value addition)? That has never happened within our area and we think it’s good and better when done elsewhere. Who then is going to break that chain? Let’s start the innovation process and value add on our produce. Let’s decist from selling unprocessed raw materials to other countries, which will only impoverish us while enriching them. We can equally acquire the skills needed to process these and make money.
Let’s emulate Chinhoyi University
of Technology
Professor Tukuta of the Chinhoyi University of Technology School of entrepreneurship demonstrated the fruits of thinking outside the box at the recent Mashonaland West Provincial SMEs Chamber Expo.
She encouraged the use of the available natural resources in the manufacturing of export quality products. Within her wares she had rings and necklaces made from natural fruit shells well-polished and packaged. This is in line with the Minister’s education 5.0 which emphasises more on industrialisation.
Most universities have been in the business of overloading students with academia which has not been of much benefit to the economy for people consume products and services. If your education doesn’t translate into products and services, then it falls short of addressing the socio economic challenges people are facing. Conclusion
Embracing value addition and beneficiation propels the economy in the direction of stability. Over reliance on imports even of things that we
can produce by simply looking into our resource endowments with a changed mindset will not move our economy forward. We must not only look forward to the Government to facilitate the empowerment process, in as much as they must put in place enabling policies, we must be seen to be aware of and appreciate our endowments and maximise the utilisation thereof.
◆ The writer, Dr Kudzanai Vere is an entrepreneur, author of four books, business and personal development, multiple award winning entrepreneurship and business coach. Dr. Vere has coached more than 5000 entrepreneurs globally and continues to impact people in the areas of entrepreneurship, business and personal development. He is the CEO of Kudfort Group./Contact Dr Kudzanai Vere for transformational entrepreneurship and business coaching and training on kudzanai@kudfort.co.zw or +263 719 592232