By Derick Tsimba

The SME Association of Zimbabwe has called for the growth of small businesses into large corporations through accessing the African Free Continental Trade Area, The Harare Post can report.

Recently, The SME Association of Zimbabwe said it was ensuring that business start-ups become regional players through the sale of a range of products and services.

“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. Given the latest developments such as the African Free Continental Trade Area, ‘large corporation’ now means being at least a regional/continental player.

“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 a smaller business can get to be at the large corporation stage, and hardly any local business expand to become regional, let alone global giants,” said the SME Association.

The SME Association of Zimbabwe is a provider of adequate business skills, solid support services such as funding, business linkages and marketing support. It is an effective lobbying platform that can push for a conducive business operating environment as well as favourable business policies, The Harare Post has learnt.