“VALUE CHAIN BUSINESS LINKAGES” SEMINAR

Background
The Zimbabwean economy is in crisis, as confirmed by the latest manufacturing sector survey report. Capacity utilization which had been going up since dollarization, has taken a nose-dive plummeting from 57% in 2011 to 44% in 2012. A myriad of factors have been cited, with the key issue being the lack of funds, a direct result of the liquidity crunch the country is experiencing.

A closer examination of the factors behind the liquidity crunch points primarily to our precarious balance of payments position as the culprit. Our imports far outweigh our exports. While imports are unavoidable as we do not produce several of the goods we need to consume, there is a disturbing trend however whereby many of these imports are actually goods that are, or can be locally produced – often at lower cost.

Drilling down into this phenomenon reveals that these unwarranted imports are the result of:

1. A lack of information on where these products can be found locally
2. Inferior or sub-standard production and inconsistency
3. Corruption and vested interest taking precedence within companies/tendering institutions, and
4. Corporate and social structures and/or mindsets that perceive local products as being inferior to imported ones
5. Lack of cohesion and cooperation within the Zimbabwean business sector.

As Associations, we believe robust and directed effort at a national scale is necessary to address these challenges, and this seminar is meant to be a starting point for the recognition and development of strategies to ensure each of these areas is comprehensively addressed in 2013.

Aim of the seminar
The seminar is meant to provide a platform that:

• Highlights the key issues around our negative balance of payments position, and specific solutions and linkages than can or should be set up to address these.
• Leads to the formation of a technical committee comprising representatives from each of the major sectors that will work on coordinating the setting up of clusters and linkage programs.
• Creates general awareness and a mindset shift towards the promotion of Zimbabweans doing business with Zimbabweans.

Target audience
The target audience for this seminar is:

1. Small and medium-sized business operators.
2. CEOs, Chief Operating Officers, Heads of purchasing departments of large corporations.
3. Industry/sector associations
4. Government ministries and departments
5. Institutions and players that have an interest in SME development.

Format
The seminar will be a one-day event, planned for Tuesday 29 January 2013. Introductory remarks will be made by invited guests, who ideally would be the Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development, and/or the Minister of Industry and Commerce. Other relevant ministries may also be considered for inclusion.
Introductions will be followed by discussions by selected experts on topics relevant to the key issue of business linkages. Each expert will give a 30 to 45 minute presentation as well as a question and answer session. We will then have a panel discussion at the end of the seminar, which will be aimed at consolidating the day’s deliberations, and also noting action points to be executed.

SMEs
SMEs are a vital cog in any country’s business linkages, and especially across value chains. Speakers will highlight how SMEs can be integrated into the mainstream economy, and advantages associated with doing this, as well as ways of mitigating disadvantages.

Advertising and sponsorship
There will be marketing slots available for businesses wishing to advertise their products, as well as space to put banners, brochures and other advertising material. Institutions can also sponsor various items as listed below. Each sponsorship package comes with marketing benefits. Bookings for sponsorship packages can be made with any of the participating associations.