.Yusuf Dodia
By JAMES KUNDA –
THE Government should invest more in the tourism sector to increase the participation of Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) in the industry.
Commenting on the ongoing preparations for the 2015 National Budget, Private sector Development Association (PSDA) chairperson Yusuf Dodia said investing in tourism would drive the economy away from dependent sectors like mining and manufacturing.
“There is need to grow the economy around other sectors such as tourism and increase the participation of SME’s as well so that the economy runs on more diverse economy,” he said.
Mr Dodia said aside from tourism, the Government should also invest more in the agriculture processing industry because it was not safe for the country to depend on mining which is the domain of foreign investors.
He said Government should support the success of SMEs more especially that their capacity to produce has been choked by the excessive costs of energy.
“The cost of fuel and electricity is very high and SME’s are faced with challenges such as high production costs, hence it is difficult for their businesses to flourish,” he said.
Mr Dodia said investments in the growth of other sectors would also reduce the country’s dependency on borrowing for consumption.
