A few years ago I was excited to visit Zimbabwe, for some business. I was heading to Harare, the capital and it magically coincided with the last elections to be held there.
I have long time family friends that had remained in the country while so many were fleeing from the governments crack down and forced removal from farms etc. It was really insightful to have a local business owner drive me around for the week, allowing me to see parts of the city that a normal business visitor or tourist would not be exposed to.
It was very sad to see as I disembarked from the plane, old rusty and forgotten planes off the side of the runways, and this theme continued as we drove into town to the hotel I was staying at. Everywhere I looked I saw remnants of what must have been glorious times. As the economy of Zimbabwe crashed and hit ground bottom, in the early years of the 21st century, the government either did not have the funds or had not allocated the funds to maintain and continue investing into the infrastructure. This has left Zimbabwe with infrastructure crumbling and fading away.
I recall thinking to myself as we drove around the city, "Even if I had the money to buy a luxurious car in Zimbabwe, I wouldn't waste my money!" The number of pot holes and condition of the roads, ruins every car, what was the point of ruining a $50,000 car when the ride was just as bumpy as in a $10,000 car.
However, as much as the city of Harare and country of Zimbabwe were not engulfed in luxurious infrastructure, the country and economy continued to tick, grow and create wealth for people within the communities. One of my fundamental business beliefs is; "Where there are people, there is an economy!" The people of Zimbabwe embraced a more entrepreneurial economy where less than 10% of the population were employed in formal employment structures. The rest of the economy traded and bartered their goods and services, making a living, paying their bills, building an economy. I left Zimbabwe thinking, what if the government did more to assist these entrepreneurs, where could the economy grow to? What role and activities should the government undertake to support entrepreneurs?
I have long time family friends that had remained in the country while so many were fleeing from the governments crack down and forced removal from farms etc. It was really insightful to have a local business owner drive me around for the week, allowing me to see parts of the city that a normal business visitor or tourist would not be exposed to.
It was very sad to see as I disembarked from the plane, old rusty and forgotten planes off the side of the runways, and this theme continued as we drove into town to the hotel I was staying at. Everywhere I looked I saw remnants of what must have been glorious times. As the economy of Zimbabwe crashed and hit ground bottom, in the early years of the 21st century, the government either did not have the funds or had not allocated the funds to maintain and continue investing into the infrastructure. This has left Zimbabwe with infrastructure crumbling and fading away.
I recall thinking to myself as we drove around the city, "Even if I had the money to buy a luxurious car in Zimbabwe, I wouldn't waste my money!" The number of pot holes and condition of the roads, ruins every car, what was the point of ruining a $50,000 car when the ride was just as bumpy as in a $10,000 car.
However, as much as the city of Harare and country of Zimbabwe were not engulfed in luxurious infrastructure, the country and economy continued to tick, grow and create wealth for people within the communities. One of my fundamental business beliefs is; "Where there are people, there is an economy!" The people of Zimbabwe embraced a more entrepreneurial economy where less than 10% of the population were employed in formal employment structures. The rest of the economy traded and bartered their goods and services, making a living, paying their bills, building an economy. I left Zimbabwe thinking, what if the government did more to assist these entrepreneurs, where could the economy grow to? What role and activities should the government undertake to support entrepreneurs?
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