Government has moved to further untangle Zimbabwe’s licensing maze — scrapping eleven permits and fusing overlapping council authorisations into one universal licence — in yet another attempt to cut red-tape and speed up business set-ups.
Finance, Economic Development & Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said these reforms are directly targeted at small-to-medium players and composite enterprises that operate several lines of trade under the same roof — such as bakeries, butcheries, fast food outlets and food manufacturing facilities — which were previously forced to pay multiple fees for what was basically one business operation.
In some cases, he noted, operators were being billed over US$2 300 just for a single food factory licence.
Ncube noted that the retail and wholesale space is the country’s fastest-expanding sector — and Government is now moving from the Livestock, Tourism and Transport reforms into this cluster.
He said the new model collapses fragmented permits into one shop licence — and reduces the number of authorities involved to one — removing duplication and slimming down approval windows.
Under the new structure, councils must apply a sliding-scale charge that may not exceed US$500, giving small start-ups and SMEs room to grow, formalise and scale.
Key changes include:
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bottle store permits no longer required for bottle stores operating within an already licensed retail shop
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wholesale + retail licences merged into one for businesses doing both
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food factory + retail combined for integrated businesses operating under one address
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ZTA licensing scrapped for supermarkets except for tourism-specific locations
Other announced reforms stretch into the broader economy:
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hotel / lodge / tourism business fees cut by 50% — capped at US$500
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change-of-property-use capped at US$1 000 (previously as high as US$3 500 in certain councils)
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effluent annual fees slashed to US$200 from US$575
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PRAZ licensing harmonised — one licence can now be used across branches (US$50–US$120)
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Liquor Licensing Board has harmonised all liquor permits — rural/urban split removed
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Local Authority Financial Services Licence now centralised at RBZ — flat US$20 (previously up to US$1 867)
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MCAZ veterinary product selling permit abolished — as it duplicated DVS functions
Prof Ncube stressed that this package is not cosmetic — it is intended to ignite enterprise growth, reduce overheads, absorb more employment, and raise productivity.
“These interventions are meant to create an environment where business can thrive — where jobs are created and where the economy can hit higher growth,” he said.
He reaffirmed that the administration remains firm on its target — a competitive, investment-friendly Zimbabwe — and ultimately achieving Upper Middle-Income status by 2030.
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