Brian Rungano Temba
The ZANU PF Youth League has called on its members interested in making a mark as successful businesspeople to formalize their operations, so that they can be eligible to receive support from the various avenues created through President Mnangagwa`s National Development Strategy 1.
Speaking to attendants at the ZANU-PF Youth League Business Workshop, Harare Metropolitan Province- Zone 4 District Coordinating Committee Secretary for Youth Affairs Cde Takura Madziya said this was the time to make money.
“In 2020 when the COVID-19 Pandemic hit the whole world, our President issued a COVID Relief Fund to all formal and informal traders to cushion them from the effects of the pandemic on our economy.
It is in the same vein of protecting the gains of the youths in business that the Second Republic then unrolled a programme to formalize all businesses through the Zimbabwe Youth Council and Company Registry,” said Madziya
“The target was to assure that the youths would partake and make money in the upcoming and running developmental projects under NDS1.
The Pandemic has changed the order of business and the markets as a whole. The best channels to tap into for business is to render services and products to the ongoing developmental drive run by the Second Republic, be it in catering services for the labour on dam and road building projects or contracting as a transport or fabricator in the building of Devolution projects across the nation,” continued Cde Madziya.
At this workshop the youths were informed on the importance of being a registered business in order to compete for the tenders under these projects.
“The opposition today will spread gimmicks of a select few being tender entrepreneurs in these mega projects but what they will not tell you is that the opportunities are gazetted in the public media to all registered business to partake in the tender bidding.
Instead of being fueled by envy and misinformed hatred towards the organized patriots who have taken it upon themselves to build the nation alongside our President, we as the vanguard of the Party ought to step up to the challenge, get out of our comfort zone and bid for the same opportunities.
President Mnangagwa has told us time and time again to make money and not make noise in the streets. Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, henceforth we must be well positioned and organized enough to qualify for the tenders and then partake in the historical growth of this nation,” added Cde Madziya.
Facilitators invited to the workshop included Zimbabwe Revenue Authorities (ZIMRA), Zimbabwe Youth Council (ZYC), Youth EmpowerBank and Campany Registry officials. Procurement Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) and Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development representatives were also invited but failed to turn up.
Among the information that the youths in attendance received were the differences between opening a Private Limited Company (PLC) and a Private Business Company (PBC) and the perks that come with each entity in vying for business opportunities and bidding for tenders.
The youths were also educated on the many types of loan opportunities available at the Empowerbank which is offering loans with a 120 per cent annual interest rate, lower than most commercial banks as to facilitate youth financial inclusion.
Empower Bank representative at the workshop Mr Staven Majoro spoke of a Lease to Buy package that allowed clients to use the machinery EmpowerBank bought for them as collateral.
Zimbabwean youths are all entitled to partake in a total of 12 reserved economic sectors according to the Indigenisation Policy of Zimbabwe.
The policy reserves the following sectors for Zimbabweans ;
Transportation (passenger buses, taxis and car hire services), Retail and Wholesale, Barbershops Hairdressing and Beauty Saloons, Employment Agencies, Estate Agencies, Valet Services, Grain Milling, Bakeries, Tobacco grading and packaging, Advertising Agencies, Provision of Local arts and craft marketing and distribution, and Artisanal Mining.
Recent Comments