Minister Kachale creating enabling environment for private sector, SMEs

Minister of Industry Roy Kachale  has told vice-president Saulos Chilima that his ministry is working on reforms to create an enabling and competitive environment for private sector development as a crucial step for a  thriving private sector that can meaningfully contribute to national development.

Chilima, who is also Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms,  was meeting Kachale in the orientation on the reforms drive.

The Industry minister said  his ministry has developed and reviewed laws and regulations in the sector “to level the playing field.”

He said, for instance, in order to regulate the sugar industry which at the moment is unregulated, the ministry developed a Sugar Industry Bill which, among others, provides for the establishment of a Sugar Regulatory Authority and a Dispute Settlement Tribunal.

Kachale said the ministry has also proposed new reforms that aim at creating an enabling environment for enhanced productivity and competitiveness, spur growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Cooperatives and Industries as well as establishment of an Industrial Research and Innovation Centre to spur industry related development.

However, Kachale bemoaned the rampant smuggling of goods from neighbouring countries that render our products non-competitive as well as erratic power supply as challenges that the industry sector is facing.