Govt urged to prioritise rehabilitation of infrastructure

The government has been called upon to prioritise the rehabilitation of the country's infrastructure to enhance Zimbabwe's trade capacity and competitiveness of the local industry.

According to the recent trade and transport facilitation assessment report bank-rolled by the government together with the World Bank, trade and transport facilitation has suffered due to deteriorating infrastructure and slow implementation of trade protocols.

Economic analyst, Abicia Ushewekunze, who expressed optimism in the ability of the country to become a regional hub for transport given its strategic location, said investment in infrastructure is a key imperative in improving trade facilitation.

A consultant, Mrs Lynn Harmon hailed the recommendations by the World Bank report, adding that there are plans to embark on a phase two survey to improve the specific supply chain performance.

The trade and transport facilitation report comes at a time calls are being made for the government to come up with a cocktail of measures to reduce delays at the country's ports of entry.

The implementation of transport protocols such as the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communication and Meteorology, which is expected to strengthen the regional integrated approach to transport management, is also critical.