By Derick Tsimba
Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Association of Zimbabwe has called for businesses to participate in the African Free Continental Trade Area.
The SME Association of Zimbabwe on its Facebook page said that “the latest developments as the African Free Continental Trade Area mean that it is mandated to grow small and medium-sized enterprises into large corporations.
“Given the latest developments such as the African Free Continental Trade Area, ‘large corporation’ now means being at least a regional/continental player. The SME Association of Zimbabwe’s mandate is to grow start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises into large corporations. We have a wide range of products and services that are geared towards achieving this objective.
“Most small and medium sized businesses stagnate or even fail before reaching their full potential. Only six percent of businesses reach the Success level, where the business is generating cumulative excess cash flows from month to month. An even smaller fraction gets to be at the Large Corporation stage, and hardly any local businesses expand to become regional, let alone global giants,” said the SME Association of Zimbabwe.
The Association said it was going to assist business to survive in the African Free Continental Trade Area through providing strategies and action plan, solid support services such as funding, business linkages and marketing support.
“Growing a business beyond the stage of merely surviving or being a ‘big fish in a small pond’ requires a deliberate growth strategy and action plan. It requires adequate business skills and also requires solid support services such as funding, business linkages and marketing support. And where the policies or legislation in place are detrimental to your business progressing, you need an effective lobbying platform that can push for the operating environment you want,” said the SME Association of Zimbabwe.
Those interested should register with the Association through its website or visit their offices at Batanai Gardens in Harare.
