Staff Reporter
The Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development, Dr Sithembiso Nyoni has commended the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for contributing towards the nation`s industrial development.
Speaking during the national APEX Council for the SMEs chamber, where a new executive was also voted into office, Minister Nyoni said, “The National Development Strategy (NDS1) has recognized the emergence and significant role of the SMEs sector in contributing not only to employment creation (76%), but also to the nation`s industrial development through the provision of key products and services to the productive sectors such as manufacturing, mining and agriculture.”
Minister Nyoni said that her Ministry together with other Government ministries is committed to assist all SMEs.
“In collaboration with other Ministries and development partners, my Ministry continues to offer support services aimed at addressing challenges encountered by the SMEs. The interventions include various business development and training, business linkages, cluster development, technology development support services such as entrepreneurship development, provision of appropriate workspace, market development and trade promotion, creation of a conducive legal framework and access to finance,” said the Minister.
The Minister encouraged the SMEs to be organized into associations so as to facilitate effective support interventions.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, given the magnitude and spread of the sector throughout the country in both rural and urban areas, channeling support services to reach out to individual SMEs is a mammoth task for the Government and other support service providers. Therefore, it is important for the SMEs to be organized into associations to facilitate effective support interventions,” said Dr Nyoni.
The Minister took the opportunity to emphasize to the new executive that by being voted into office they have been entrusted to be the torch bearers in spearheading the development of the sector.
The new President for the National Apex Board for the Zimbabwe Chamber of SMEs is Daniel Chinyemba and his Vice President is Faith Zulu.
