SMEs appeal for markets

By Daniel Chigundu

Some of the braai stands being made by SMEs

MICRO, Small to Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) who account for close to six million jobs in the country say the biggest setback in their various businesses is the issue of markets.

Zimbabwe is said to have about four million small business but they are all struggling to establish meaningful markets for their products owing to various challenges chief among them the cruel competition from imports.

The mushrooming of SMEs in various sectors of the economy are a direct result of company closures that swept across the country in the last decade due to bad economic policies by government. 

In an interview with this paper recently Moushtec managing director Philip Zengeya, an SME involved in metal and sheet fabrication said their attempt to tap into regional markets was being hampered by lack of knowledge and resources.

“We would very much want to export our products to the region but we do not have the required knowledge and capacity to do it for ourselves and even locally its equally difficult for example just advertising in the media is expensive and way beyond our reach.

“Those that have seen our products are satisfied by our work because we do not compromise on quality and we are confident that our products can compete at any stage so based on these facts we are soldiering on despite the many challenges,” he said. 

Zengeya called on government to quickly resolve the sticking issues that have resulted in delays to resuscitate the country’s giant steel producer ZISCO Steel.

He said delays at ZISCO have left players in the steel fabrication sector at the mercy of unscrupulous importers of raw materials who charge high prices.

Addressing a panel discussion at the official launch of the FinScope MSME Survey Zimbabwe 2012 author David Chiweza took a swipe at importers arguing that they were killing the little manufactures and went on to call government to establish local market for SMEs.

“I believe SMEs need to be given markets, local markets before they go outside because money is in the markets.

“They are living in the same kraal as lion and goats were every morning you find that a goat is eaten. Manufacturing SMEs are living in the same market with importers and everyday they are being killed when all what is needed is complimenting each other.

“The ideal situation is were some manufacture while others sell but that can only happen through creating markets,” said Chiweza.