By Patience Gondo
The Government of Zimbabwe has introduced sweeping reforms to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and cutting licensing costs in the wholesale and retail sectors as part of ongoing efforts to improve the ease of doing business.
In an October 31 2025, statement by the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Professor Mthuli Ncube said the reforms are a continuation of the Government’s broader Ease of Doing Business and Regulatory Fees Reforms.
These have already been implemented in the livestock, tourism and transport sectors.
Ncube said the retail sector is among the fastest growing industries in Zimbabwe and the new measures are designed to strengthen it by consolidating fragmented licensing systems.
Under the new framework, multiple retail licences have been merged into single one stop licences to simplify clearance processes and reduce the number of authorities involved in business regulation.
“Local authorities will now be required to apply a sliding scale licence fee structure capped at US$500, a move aimed at promoting the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs),” He said.
Ncube said eleven separate licence requirements have been removed and replaced with a unified licensing system that allows businesses to operate multiple lines such as bakeries, butcheries, restaurants and factories under a single permit.
He also said previous food factory licences, which cost up to US$2,300, have been eliminated. Bottle store licences have also been scrapped for retail shops that already hold valid licences, while shops operating both retail and wholesale businesses will now only require one licence for both.
Factory and retail licences have been combined into a single licence for integrated operations conducted under one premise.
Ncube further said the requirement for supermarkets to obtain licences from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) has been removed for non-tourist retail shops.
He said further reductions and consolidations will be across other sectors. Hotel, lodge and tourism business licence fees have been reviewed downwards by 50 percent and capped at US$500 per business.
The Change of Property Use fee, previously as high as US$3,500, has now been capped at US$1,000, while effluent waste management costs have been reduced from US$575 to US$200 annually.
Other reforms include the consolidation of PRAZ licence fees across categories into one licence costing between US$50 and US$120, and the introduction of a single Liquor Licensing Board permit that applies to all business locations, regardless of city, municipality, town or rural district.
The Local Authority Financial Services Licence will now be issued as a single permit under the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), covering all business activities within a shop at a flat rate of US$20, down from US$1,867.
The permit to sell veterinary products, previously issued by the Medical Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ), has also been scrapped to eliminate duplication with the Department of Veterinary Services.
According to Ncube, these reforms are expected to create a more conducive economic environment that supports job creation, boosts productivity and promotes high growth rates by improving the ease of doing business.
“The measures are meant to aid in the creation of a conducive economic environment where jobs will be created and productivity improved across all sectors of the economy,” Ncube said.
Ncube said they are committed to creating an investor-friendly environment that promotes domestic and foreign investment, in line with Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy.
In an October 31 2025, statement by the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Professor Mthuli Ncube said the reforms are a continuation of the Government’s broader Ease of Doing Business and Regulatory Fees Reforms.
These have already been implemented in the livestock, tourism and transport sectors.
Ncube said the retail sector is among the fastest growing industries in Zimbabwe and the new measures are designed to strengthen it by consolidating fragmented licensing systems.
Under the new framework, multiple retail licences have been merged into single one stop licences to simplify clearance processes and reduce the number of authorities involved in business regulation.
“Local authorities will now be required to apply a sliding scale licence fee structure capped at US$500, a move aimed at promoting the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs),” He said.
Ncube said eleven separate licence requirements have been removed and replaced with a unified licensing system that allows businesses to operate multiple lines such as bakeries, butcheries, restaurants and factories under a single permit.
He also said previous food factory licences, which cost up to US$2,300, have been eliminated. Bottle store licences have also been scrapped for retail shops that already hold valid licences, while shops operating both retail and wholesale businesses will now only require one licence for both.
Factory and retail licences have been combined into a single licence for integrated operations conducted under one premise.
Ncube further said the requirement for supermarkets to obtain licences from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) has been removed for non-tourist retail shops.
He said further reductions and consolidations will be across other sectors. Hotel, lodge and tourism business licence fees have been reviewed downwards by 50 percent and capped at US$500 per business.
The Change of Property Use fee, previously as high as US$3,500, has now been capped at US$1,000, while effluent waste management costs have been reduced from US$575 to US$200 annually.
Other reforms include the consolidation of PRAZ licence fees across categories into one licence costing between US$50 and US$120, and the introduction of a single Liquor Licensing Board permit that applies to all business locations, regardless of city, municipality, town or rural district.
The Local Authority Financial Services Licence will now be issued as a single permit under the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), covering all business activities within a shop at a flat rate of US$20, down from US$1,867.
The permit to sell veterinary products, previously issued by the Medical Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ), has also been scrapped to eliminate duplication with the Department of Veterinary Services.
According to Ncube, these reforms are expected to create a more conducive economic environment that supports job creation, boosts productivity and promotes high growth rates by improving the ease of doing business.
“The measures are meant to aid in the creation of a conducive economic environment where jobs will be created and productivity improved across all sectors of the economy,” Ncube said.
Ncube said they are committed to creating an investor-friendly environment that promotes domestic and foreign investment, in line with Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy.