KEY stakeholders in the country’s second city will rub shoulders with the minister of Finance, Mthuli Ncube, this morning.
The Treasury chief is headlining a cast of high-profile speakers and attendees at a decorous breakfast meeting at the Rainbow Hotel, which will discuss the much-debated 2025 National Budget.
Hosted by the iconic Daily News — the country’s most influential newspaper — in conjunction with the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), the meeting will also see a diverse range of experts, including renowned economist Eddie Cross, making presentations on current economic issues.
Jester Media Services (JMS) general manager for events, Vimbiso Matarise, said yesterday that it was “all systems go for the indaba” which is open to all stakeholders.
“This event is coming at a time when the need has never been higher for industry and commerce, as well as other interest groups, to better understand the government’s policy thrusts on many fronts. “Through this crucial partnership with CZI and the Ministry of Finance, we are presenting all key stakeholders in Bulawayo and surrounding areas with a major opportunity to interface with Minister Ncube, who is one of the most important public officials in the country.
“We are looking forward to a robust and engaging meeting that should answer many of the questions that stakeholders have about the business operating environment and where the country is headed to,” Matarise told the Daily News.
The chief executive of the CZI, Sekai Kuvarika, said today’s indaba is an important platform for the government and stakeholders to interface on economic issues.
“The importance of the post-budget breakfast in Bulawayo is that the minister will get an opportunity to hear views from the market about his budget and also an opportunity to then maybe address some of the views that come from the market.
“In the same vein, it is also an opportunity for business to hear from the minister some of his rationale for the measures he has put in the budget. “It is important to come and be part of it. This is a very key conversation in Zimbabwe’s policy calendar. “And, when people come and share their views at this forum then they contribute to national discourse,” Kuvarika said.
“So. that is why it is important that companies, business leaders, entrepreneurs and other people that are interested in the Zimbabwean business environment, should attend the event. “They should expect to hear very objective analysis from the market and also expect to engage with the minister on the various key areas of this budget,” Kuvarika added.
Presenting the 2025 National Budget a fortnight ago, Ncube called for “extraordinary effort from all stakeholders, with clear commitment to not just identify problems, nor just proposing solutions, but also working together with a clear vision of the future” to lift the economy and move Zimbabwe forward.
“In this regard, business, labour, civil society and the generality of citizens must be partners in building a better future for Zimbabwe,” he added then. Those wishing to attend the breakfast meeting should contact Ms Matarise on mobile.