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(HERALD) ‘Economic plan to be launched soon’

‘Economic plan to be launched soon’
Business Reporter

THE release of a transitional economic plan that would feed into the national policy framework during the course of next year is now at an advanced stage, the Secretary for Economic Development, Mrs Judith Kateera, has said. She said the transitional plan would give policy direction during the formulation of the 2008 National Budget, due in November. She said the key objective of the transitional plan was to stabilise the economy through policies that are geared towards reining in inflation.

It would also deal with the exchange rate issue and ensuring that interest rates are in sync with inflation to create an enabling environment conducive for business. At the moment, Mrs Kateera said the ministry was holding wide-ranging consultations to come up with a truly representative plan.

"As economists we have been blamed for formulating policy and national plans while we are seated in our offices and we are moving away from that approach and going to the people so that their views are truly represented," she said.

In this regard, she said they were consulting at provincial levels as well as the business community as one of the key sectors of the economy. In addition, she said the ministry would target the pre-budget seminar for legislators.

"Legislators represent a diverse cross-section of society and we believe that the views that they will express will be representative of the views of the people they represent," she said.

The transitional plan was expected to be presented to Cabinet at the end of the consultative process.

The plan would supersede the National Economic Development Priority Programme, which expires at the end of the year.

The transitional plan, which is a short-term policy, would be succeeded by a medium-term plan, the new five-year Zimbabwe Economic Development Strategy (ZEDS) to be launched next year.

ZEDS would run from 2009 to 2013.

Labels: ECONOMY, THE HERALD, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 5:27 AM