The National Economic Consultative Forum (NECF) is set to launch Zimbabwe’s first competitiveness report on Thursday.
The report follows the need to anchor the country’s economic turnaround on factual assessment of economic opportunities, constraints and policy reforms that need attention.
The report which was developed by NECF through a national consultative process that covered all major towns and economic hubs, is designed as a critical tool in enabling Zimbabwe’s economic actors to achieve the robust economic target of attaining 7% GDP growth contained in the government’s economic plan, ZIMASSET.
Norman Chakanetsa, the Executive Secretary of NECF said the report will pave way for a conducive business environment.
“The National Competativness Report (NRC) primarily seeks to make a contribution on the ease of Doing business and business Cost Drivers.
“The report comes at an opportune time as all sectors are focused on economic revival and identifying opportunities for growth and prosperity for our society,” he said.
Chakanetsa also said,” the country has recognized the influence of the annual World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index and doing business indicators, while at the same time recognizing the limitations inherent in their methodologies or abilities to tell a complete Zimbabwean story.”
NECF believes Zimbabwe Economic and social sectors need to localize research that addresses economic turnaround strategies.
“NECF believes the NCR, as a result of its board consultative process and ownership of findings, represent a true assessment of Zimbabwe’s economic competitiveness, drawing on many globally comparable indicartors as well as national information,” he said.
Zimbabwe is not the first country to carry out such an exercise as other countries among them, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan and Senegal have also done so with a view of improving the business environment in their countries in a manner that makes them competitive.
