The SME Association of Zimbabwe is a leading BMO (Business Member Organisation) recognized by government, parliament, state agencies, local authorities and civil society at large. We are actively involved in lobbying and advocating for the improvement of the operating environment for SMEs. Some of the institutions to which we are accredited and whom we work with actively are:
- Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and SME Development
- Ministry of Industry and Commerce
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Finance
- Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
- ZIMRA
- PRAZ
- Zimtrade
We have been, and are actively involved in several key reforms of the economy. Some of the processes to which we have been or are a party to are:
- Ease of Doing Business reforms
- Formulation and promulgation of the SMEs policy
- Reforms to the State Procurement Board leading to the formation of PRAZ
- Introduction of the SME Auction and SME access to foreign currency through Bureaus de Change
- Introduction of the SME Guarantee scheme through ECGC
- Ongoing Financial Inclusion reforms by RBZ
- Introduction of the Collateral Registry (RBZ) expected by December 2021
- Reform of SME taxes (Ministry of SMEs, ZIMRA and Ministry of Finance)
- Local Content policy implementation (Ministry of Industry & Commerce/Buy Zimbabwe)
- National budget formulation (mid-term and annual)
Apart from the above we are involved in several policy reform initiatives on an ongoing basis. We are also prominently featured in the media as a leading organisation in the SME realm.
We are also involved in regional processes for SMEs, working with organisations such as COMESA and SADC. Our aim is to put SME issues to the forefront, and to create a conducive environment to promote SME growth. In the medium to long term we also intend to extend the reach of our local SMEs into regional and international markets.