CEOs urge govt to consult widely

CLOUDINE MATOLA

 

The CEO Africa Roundtable has urged the government to  consult widely with all business stakeholders when formulating policies, given that Statutory Instruments (SI) exert a substantial impact on the business environment, Business Times can report.

 

The call comes at a time when delegated legislation or SIs  has become a popular means  of governance in Zimbabwe.  In the last two years, the government has passed more than 220  SIs, undermining both the ability of Parliament to meaningfully contribute to the legislative framework and inclusive business stakeholder consultations.

Analysts warned that the risk associated with SIs is that there is no Parliamentary scrutiny, which is crucial for the enactment of laws because it involves debate, unlike when SIs are promulgated.

 

Speaking Friday at the Business Confidence Index for Q3 press conference, CEO Africa Roundtable CEO Kipson Gundani said all business  stakeholders  should be consulted when policies are being developed, as some of them  impact the sector.

 

“There is need for consensus in policy making. The policy making process in Zimbabwe is regarded as flawed in the sense that it is not strongly consultative,” Gundani said.

 

He added: “Most of the senior executives feel that they are excluded in policy making process of the country, and as a result they also do not agree to some of the policies that the policy makers eventually come up with.

“We certainly continue to engage the government on SIs. Some of them are actually in direct response to what we ask the government to do. I think we have to be fair enough and honour that but some are also shocking as they come as a surprise. It  is not to say all the 228 Sis where shocking, some where really on the positive side but all we are saying is SI is part of the policy making, law making, let it be inclusive of all stakeholders so that we get rid of the turbulence associated with such shocks, so that they come when we are prepared for that.”

 

 

CEO Africa Roundtable chairman, Oswell Binha  weighed in saying that too many SIs undermine business planning.

“We also think that too many SIs are reactive. Business planning is not short term alone. We also plan medium to long term. So shocks that are brought by SIs undermine business planning,’ Binha said.

 

He added: “It is our wish now that government looks at re-dollarisation  SI and act it into finance act to make sure that we have completed the cycle of assuring the business sector that 2030 is the bare minimum.”

 

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