Published: 14 hours ago

The Zimbabwean government has announced a major regulatory overhaul aimed at reducing the cost and complexity of doing business by cutting back on excessive licences, levies, and permits.

Following a recent Cabinet review of 12 key sectors - including agriculture, retail, manufacturing, and energy - authorities found that businesses are being weighed down by a web of fragmented and overlapping regulatory requirements. In many cases, a single business must obtain multiple licences from various regulators, creating what officials describe as "unnecessary complexities and administrative burdens."

Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has been tasked with leading "detailed sector reviews" to rationalise the regulatory landscape. The reviews will target the "multiplicity, duplication and fragmentation" of fees, licences, and permits that are widely seen as barriers to formal business growth and investment.

"These overlapping charges are not only costly but are a major deterrent to entrepreneurship and private sector expansion," said a statement issued after the latest Cabinet meeting.

The government says it will collaborate with its agencies and the private sector to develop legal reforms aimed at streamlining compliance requirements. The outcome of the reviews will be presented to Cabinet, with a full implementation strategy expected before the end of the year.

The move is part of broader efforts to improve Zimbabwe's investment climate and climb up the global ease-of-doing-business rankings, which have in recent years highlighted the country's over-regulation and bureaucratic hurdles as key impediments.

Businesses, particularly SMEs and new investors, have long complained about the burden of compliance costs and delays in obtaining approvals. In some sectors, more than half a dozen licences are needed before operations can even begin, with each carrying its own fee, renewal cycle, and approval timeline.

Analysts say the government's push to consolidate and simplify licensing regimes could significantly improve economic efficiency and investor confidence if effectively implemented.

While the full list of sectors targeted for rationalisation has not been disclosed, officials say the focus will remain on high-impact industries where regulatory overlap is most acute.

The planned reforms come as Zimbabwe continues to court local and foreign investment amid ongoing economic reforms under the National Development Strategy (NDS1), with a view to boosting productivity, employment, and exports.
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