The energetic Director of Ceremonies and Past President of the Chamber, Mr Tamuka Macheka called the room to order at 0900 hours and warmly welcomed delegates to the 2023 Business Review Conference.

The 2023 Women in Enterprise Conference and Awards (WECA) was held on 29 September 2023 at the Zimbali Events and Lifestyle Centre. The event was attended by individuals and entrepreneurs from organizations emerging from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Embassies, Development Partners, and the private sector from various sectors such as ICT, financial services, education, construction, retail and wholesale, and manufacturing, among others. The Chamber was celebrating the 10^th Anniversary of the Women’s Desk which was established in 2013.

The 2023 Business Review Conference was held on 07 December 2023 at Cresta Lodge in Msasa under the theme: “Transforming Economic Realities into Market Opportunities”. The Business Review Conference is an annual event that is hosted by the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) where critical issues relating to industry and commerce sectors are deliberated. Broad aspects related to the policy environment are discussed in an endeavour to lay down a sustainable path toward growth and profitability.

The Chamber is grateful to those who participated at the 2023 ZITF Business Luncheon and we sincerely hope that you immensely benefited from the conversation on Transformative Innovation, Global Competitiveness.

Preamble

The Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Zimbabwe held Workshops on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Bulawayo (17 & 18) and Gweru (19 & 20) from 17 to 20 October 2023. This followed a similar Workshop which was held from 4 to 5 September 2023 in Mutare. The Workshop was targeting export-ready businesses to capacitate them and enhance their participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Trading with the European Union has been enhanced following the ratification of the European Union-Eastern and Southern Africa Interim Economic Partnerships Agreement (EU-ESA iEPA). Zimbabwe is among the five countries including Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles to benefit from the EPAs. In 2020, the European Union has been at the forefront of international trade in terms of both exports and imports as it accounted for about 25.6% of trade in goods and services. The regional block is Africa’s number one trading partner accounting for 28% of Africa’s total trade with the rest of the world and was also the largest source of foreign direct investment, amounting to Euro 242 billion in 2019.

Foreword

The Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), hosted an Economic Policy Dialogue Forum on 11 October 2023 at Cresta Lodge in Msasa. Halfway through the implementation of the National Development Strategy I (NDS1), the Chamber, its Executive Council, and its broad membership do recognize the efforts by the Government of Zimbabwe in spearheading economic progress towards the attainment of an upper-middle-income society by 2030. Accordingly, the private sector is taking part in the implementation of the NDS1 objectives and will continue to work with the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure the attainment of the NDS1 targets.