National Report

Mishma Chakanyuka THE Small and Medium Enter­prises Development Corporation (SMEDCO) says a national data­base of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), currently under development, will improve access to government support and inform policy-making in the sec­tor. In his remarks at the National MSMEs Database Stakeholders’ Workshop, SMEDCO chief ex­ecutive Obert Ngwenya said the database would…

THE Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) expects mineral rev­enue to increase next year as lithium producers expand into lithium sulphate production and exports. MMCZ general manager Nomusa Moyo said the shift towards further processing fol­lowed the success of lithium concentrate, which has over­taken platinum group metals (PGMs) as the leading contrib­utor to mineral revenue.…

ZIMBABWEAN compa­nies must develop home­grown digital solutions to reduce reliance on foreign tech­nology, Transport and Infrastruc­tural Development minister Felix Mhona has said. Officiating at a local technolo­gy company, 1010 Technologies’ 30th anniversary celebrations, Mhona said the country was em­bracing technology to improve service delivery. “We are moving towards greater automation, integrated databases, intelligent transport systems,…

GREEN Dollar Stablecoin is targeting expansion into Africa’s cross-border payments market through a digital currency designed to facilitate trade, remittances and commercial transac­tions. The African-focused digital asset firm, recently incorporated in Zim­babwe, told The Financial Gazette this week that it was in “discussions with the African Union’s trade and investment structures over potential continental applications,”…

AS ZIMBABWE prepares to host the landmark Com­mon Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) summit and assume its chairmanship this month, the nation faces a complex economic landscape. The country stands at a crucial crossroads, balancing regional trade integration and strategic growth op­portunities against pressing domestic hurdles. These challenges include border porosity, currency dynamics,…

THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has urged Zim­babwe to put in place policies that encourage investments that deliver economic returns while generating social and environmental benefits. UNDP Resident Representative for Zimbabwe, Adeyele Odusola, said the country should move be­yond conventional investment mod­els and focus on impact investments capable of accelerating sustainable development across multiple…

THE government will stop approving budgets for councils that fail to pro­duce up-to-date financial statements as it seeks to make local authorities drivers of investment and economic develop­ment. Local Government permanent secre­tary Tafadzwa Muguti told council ex­ecutives that outdated accounts would prevent local authorities from access­ing new allocations. Muguti said some councils were three to…

THE Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) is pushing for tighter control of health­care costs through the use of artifi­cial intelligence (AI), managed-care models and regional skills exchange programmes. AHFoZ chief executive officer Shylet Sanyanga said the association would use regional partnerships to build skills in technology and im­prove efficiency and treatment out­comes. “The…

THE Securities and Exchange Com­mission of Zimbabwe (SecZim) is stepping up investment in digital sys­tems as it seeks to improve market surveillance, reduce compliance costs and increase investor participation in the capital markets. The regulator is moving away from traditional systems that rely heavily on manual analysis of market trends and is working towards real-time…