by BERNARD CHIKETO
A SENIOR government official here laid out a policy roadmap aimed at using tax incentives and targeted government spending to bolster women-led businesses, part of a national strategy to stimulate economic growth by advancing gender equality.
In a speech delivered recently, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, the Minister of State for Manicaland Province, called for specific fiscal measures, including ring-fencing local infrastructure funds and creating tax breaks for women-owned enterprises in key sectors like agro-processing and tourism.
The remarks, made at a provincial dialogue organized with the United Nations Development Programme, signal a growing effort by authorities to formalize and expand initiatives aimed at women entrepreneurs, who are often sidelined from traditional financing.
“The reality is that too often, these policies unintentionally bypass the needs of women,” Minister Mugadza said. “Our goal is to ensure the Government’s Wallet actively opens doors and uplifts the backbone of our economy.”
The push is aligned with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s “Vision 2030” goal of developing an upper-middle-income economy. The government is framing gender equality not just as a social imperative but as a deliberate economic tool.
To that end, Minister Mugadza pinpointed three immediate policy priorities for his province. First, he said devolved funds reaching districts must “prioritize needs identified by women,” including road rehabilitation and clean-water projects that would ease the burden on female traders and farmers.
Second, he directly addressed the tax code, urging a recalibration to support small and medium enterprises, or SMEs, run by women. He gave the example of creating incentives for women-led businesses in the coffee and tea value chains in the Chipinge and Mutare districts, and for those entering the tourism sector in areas like Nyanga.
Third, he highlighted the need to make social-protection systems more effective in cushioning women farmers from climate shocks.
The government has already established the Zimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank to offer capital to women entrepreneurs who often lack traditional collateral. Minister Mugadza also said the province is using its budget to build safer, gender-based violence-free market shelters for cross-border traders.
The success of these initiatives is critical in a country where the formal economy remains a challenge for many. For women like those in Manicaland’s trading and farming sectors, the promised fiscal changes could mean easier access to markets and capital.
“Let this dialogue be a catalyst for change,” Minister Mugadza said, “a space where policy meets people.” The test will be whether that connection can be made, and how quickly the government’s wallet can be opened.
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