via Policy inconsistency, our own undoing – DailyNews Live 14 September 2014 by Roadwin Chirara
HARARE – With global foreign direct investment topping $1,46 trillion last year, according to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Zimbabwe’s share was a meagre $410 million in 2013.
Neighbouring Mozambique attracted inflows of $7,1 billion, up 30 percent from the 2012, South Africa being the top recipient, attracting $10,3 billion of $56 billion channelled towards Africa.
Key to Zimbabwe’s short coming, has been its policy inconsistency, be it the current indigenisation drive or recapitalisation of the banking sector.
The latest decision by the country to solely grant Egyptian national flag carrier, EgyptAir concessions has not helped our case either.
According to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), EgyptAir which had announced plans to suspend flights to the country and already a beneficiary of a 50 percent discount on landing and navigation charges for the 2014/2015 season courtesy of the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (Caaz), will be granted further discounts.
Government has gone further for the airline and revealed that it will engage its Tanzanian counterparts to facilitate the granting of the fifth freedom to EgyptAir — after it had also mentioned its failure to secure traffic right from the country — was affecting the sustainability of the route.
Fair and fine, this will allow locals working for the carrier to keep their jobs and make the country more accessible, but where does that leave other carriers that are also battling with Caaz’s high landing fees.
Will the government come to their rescue and engage other nations to make their flights more viable or this is a special dispensation for the Egyptians only.
Last month, the Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) announced that it would stop operating flights to Lusaka and Harare effectively on October 26, 2014, four years after resuscitating the route.
The big carrier had over the years raised concern regarding the country’s high landing fees and no action was taken despite the flight giving Harare a direct access to Europe through Amsterdam and tapping into a huge tourism market which has the potential to drive growth in the sector.
What is key from all this is Zimbabwe needs to have consistent policies for players in each and every sector.
If EgyptAir is going to be given waivers by Caaz, then every airline that flies into the country should also benefit from the same waivers so that there is a level playing field in the industry.
Zimbabwe through its open skies policy aimed at attracting as many airlines as possible but this can only be possible if the Tourism ministry creates a favourable operating environment for all.
Since 2000, a total of 18 international airlines ceased flying into Zimbabwe and some are big names like Lufthansa, Qantas, Austrian Airlines, Swiss-air, Air India and Air France among others.
However, following the stabilisation of the economy in 2009 a total of 12 airlines have since resumed the Harare route.
Where do all this leave our struggling national carrier Air Zimbabwe? Your guess is as good as mine.
COMMENTS
This country is such a joke. As satire it’s really successful, but unfortunately people’s lives are at stake. It’s run by a bunch of amateurs who think that just because they are in charge, that somehow imbues them with wisdom and intelligence? ZANU-PF proves over and over again by their actions, that they don’t see the big picture and have no idea how to take the country to a prosperous future. The only thing they excell at is bullying people to not stand in the way of their habitual need to acquire more individual wealth and power for themselves at the expense of the rest of the people. From Mugabe on down, they have no idea how to actually run a successful government.
Its called ” (mis)management by crisis ” since 1980
ZANU has been consistently unable to govern Zimbabwe and remains so.
I am so confident that they know from experience how to mismanage an economy, but above all…everything isbeing done out of greed.they can’t afford to retire…ko kuba kunozoitwa nani
Rodwin it was not long ago that we used to get many expats to work in our country and do good . This was before the economy fell to pieces once Zanu learnt how to manipulate the books. You see Robert did not trust the whites then so he brought in other whites he could easily manipulate. Which he did. Notably the British, Americans, Aussies and others. Guess who he hates today? Talk about policy inconsistencies I believe it is more than that. You figure it out now.