Vice President Kembo Mohadi has described navigating the roads of Zimbabwe and Africa as a nightmare leading to logistical chaos for travellers.
This leads to dishonest businessmen taking advantage of the situation by charging excessive fees and restricting the flow of trade,” Mohadi said while officially opening the Connecting Africa Symposium at the 64th Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo yesterday.
Mahadi said that despite the vast natural resources, intra-African trade faces challenges such as dilapidated infrastructure characterized by poor roads and limited air and sea connections.
“More often than not, weak infrastructure has created logistical nightmares for our people,” he said.
“For example, some unscrupulous businessmen have taken advantage of the poor road network to raise tolls and stifle the movement of goods and services.
“Consequently, complex regulations and bureaucratic red tape also create obstacles for business, thus discouraging investment.”
The Vice President urged countries on the continent to make the most of the privileged access to minerals and other valuable resources by adopting value addition.
“It is known that value addition and subsequent enrichment improve the market value of products. Value addition also creates a greater competitive advantage for us through regional cooperation,” he added.
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“In a recent statistical report issued in 2023, it [was]
It is clear that about 12% of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty, and Africa represents 10% of that 12% poor group.
“Although poverty levels are expected to decline globally, Africa is likely to remain the poorest region. This requires deliberate action if we are to address the conditions in Africa as the statistics I just mentioned indicate.
Mahdi called for the empowerment of small businesses, especially those owned by women and youth, if Africa is to move forward.
Small businesses are currently the largest employers in Africa and drive many economies on the continent.
It also calls on African countries to embrace digitalization to break down barriers to trade, while creating a borderless market for African entrepreneurs, goods and consumers.
“We also need to invest in skills development to equip Africa’s workforce with the skills and knowledge required in the 21st century, which are critical to dealing with the contemporary challenges we face as an integral part of unlocking Africa’s competitiveness potential,” he added. Newsday
