Factors Influencing Growth and Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Zimbabwe

There is evidence that Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) drive a close to 9 billion dollar economy in Zimbabwe. Despite this, businesses remain stunted and unregistered, contributing between nothing and less to the national fiscus. While the broad assumption that SMEs generally have positive effects on country economic growth has been established, the notion of economic imperatives for SMEs remains largely untested. Again, sector benefits accrue to a small portion of the population, with allegations of nepotism and partisanship in allocation of funds. The national infrastructure for SMEs remains robust at paper and policy levels, without political willingness for operationalisation. Situation is worse for women entrepreneurs. What can be done to ensure effective operation of SMEs sector? This paper examines development of SMEs in Zimbabwe over five historical cycles from the pre-independence era to date. Analysis addresses the following questions: What kind of SMEs infrastructure has Government of Zimbabwe put in place and how effective has it been in addressing SMEs challenges? What are the main challenges the sector faces? How are women’s specific gender needs addressed in SMEs policy formulation and practice? How can Zimbabwean SMEs be sources of innovation to provide best practice globally? Analysis thrives on a desk review of available data on SMEs in Zimbabwe and globally. The paper concludes that Government of Zimbabwe needs to strengthen its political willingness by bridging the gap between policy and practice in order to effectively support SMEs growth in the country.