Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) has said its inaugural economic summit slated for February 20 in Harare will provide solutions to some of the challenges bedevilling the Zimbabwean economy.
Conceived in February 2019, and launched in May the same year, POLAD, is a grouping of some opposition parties which are in talks with the ruling ZANU-PF party on resolving Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis.
However, the main opposition party, MDC, has since refused to be part of POLAD instead demanding an independent international mediator as a facilitator.
Briefing media in Bulawayo Wednesday, POLAD head of the economic thematic committee, Trust Chikohora, said they looked forward to the economic summit proffering solutions for the turning around of Zimbabwe’s suffocating economy.
“Today at the executive plenary we have already resolved and I want to announce that on the 20th of February we are hosting the inaugural POLAD economic summit at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC),” said Chikohora.
“So, we are looking forward to that summit and we hope that it will go a long way in coming up with solutions to develop our economy, that’s what we have so far.”
Many people, according to Chikohora will be in attendance at the indaba.
“This summit will bring together all the major stakeholders in the economy so that we can tackle issues of the economy,” he said.
“We want to find out from the stakeholders, from the market what the real major issues are that are affecting our economy. We want to find out from them, what their recommendations are. At the end of the day we will compile a report of our findings, which will be officially handed over to the President and government for consideration or implementation.”
Chikohora said at the summit there will be panels comprising people from business, employers, labour, development partners and other stakeholders,
“We will have presidents of major business associations, your ZNCC, CZI, Chamber of Mines, EMCOZ; we will have diplomats representing even the investor community, Foreign Direct Investment,” elaborated Chikohora.
“We will have all the diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe, we expect them at the meeting. We will also have labour, your ZCTU, ZFTU, Apex Council and even consumer bodies, Consumer Council of Zimbabwe, representing the consumer. We will also have development partners, UNDP, IMF, World Bank Afrexim Bank for your capital markets including even the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.”
President Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to officially open the economic summit.
