HARARE — Government has fully implemented 291 reviewed licences, permits, levies and fees as part of a year-long drive to reduce the cost of doing business, while e-hailing transport operators have been granted a five-month regulatory moratorium to allow Government to develop a comprehensive framework for the rapidly expanding sector.
The developments form part of the Implementation Progress Report on the comprehensive review of licences, permits, levies and fees presented by Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister, Hon. Mthuli Ncube, to Cabinet, alongside the review of e-hailing transport services.
The review, conducted between August 2025 and August 2026 across 13 priority sectors and through a subsequent mop-up exercise, reflects a broader Government effort to tackle one of the persistent constraints on economic activity, the cost and complexity of regulatory compliance.
The sectors covered include agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, transport, wholesale and retail, energy, broadcasting, telecommunications, construction, banking and financial services, health and mining.
The significance of the exercise extends beyond the number of fees already implemented. For businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, multiple licences, permits and regulatory charges can raise the cost of entering and remaining in the formal economy. Streamlining those requirements can therefore improve competitiveness while making it easier for businesses to expand and create employment.
Among the notable developments is the operationalisation of a raft of approved fees by the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency through Statutory Instrument 17 of 2026, while the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe has implemented various approved fees through Statutory Instrument 9 of 2026.
The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works has also implemented 62 of its 201 approved fees through Statutory Instruments 41 and 107 of 2026.
Importantly, the reforms have included the removal of several charges, including Livestock Movement Clearance fees, the Fuel Storage Registration Certificate, the Cattle levy and Fish Monger licences.
Such measures point to a shift in the regulatory reform agenda from simply changing tariffs to examining whether particular charges and administrative requirements remain necessary in the first place.
Implementation, however, remains uneven. Cabinet noted that the 291 fully implemented measures represent only part of the broader reform programme, with outstanding reviews still at different stages across Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
The implementation of reviewed bank charges is also progressing at different levels across local banks, while Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe financial surveillance and exchange-control measures are being operationalised. Regulatory registration fees administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe and the Insurance and Pensions Commission are already being implemented.
Cabinet said obstacles affecting the implementation of outstanding reforms have been identified and are being addressed.
The wider economic implication is that regulatory reform is increasingly being treated as an economic policy instrument rather than simply an administrative exercise. Reducing unnecessary fees and simplifying compliance can lower barriers to investment and formalisation, particularly when combined with reforms designed to improve public service delivery.
The progress comes as Government continues to position the Ease of Doing Business reforms within the National Development Strategy 2 framework, with Cabinet noting that the reforms are receiving recognition within the region and beyond.
The e-hailing sector provides another important test of that reform philosophy.
Platforms including Bolt, InDrive, Tap & Go, GoFaster and KOSE have expanded the transport options available to Zimbabweans, providing convenient and relatively affordable services while creating income opportunities, particularly for young people.
However, the rapid growth of the sector has also exposed regulatory gaps, creating tension between the need to regulate transport services and the need to avoid regulations that unnecessarily restrict new business models.
Cabinet has consequently approved a five-month moratorium as an interim transitional measure while the regulatory framework is reviewed.
The moratorium is intended to provide breathing space for Government and industry to establish a more appropriate regulatory architecture, including a self-regulating framework through which e-hailing providers, operators and drivers can address issues such as passenger safety and driver standards.
The framework will also provide for the registration of e-hailing transport businesses with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, with already registered operators expected to apply for tax registration.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has been tasked with developing regulations for the sector following consultations with industry players and regulatory authorities, while drawing on international best practices.
The policy direction is significant because e-hailing is no longer a marginal component of Zimbabwe’s transport economy. It has become an important part of urban mobility and a source of income for thousands of drivers, while providing passengers with an alternative to conventional transport services.
The challenge for Government is therefore to strike a balance between regulation and innovation.
Over-regulation could increase operating costs and undermine the affordability that has helped e-hailing services gain popularity. Under-regulation, on the other hand, could create risks around passenger safety, taxation, driver accountability and fair competition with traditionally regulated transport operators.
The five-month moratorium creates an opportunity to address that balance before permanent regulations are introduced.
Taken together, the business-fee reforms and e-hailing measures point to a broader policy direction, Government is seeking to make regulation more predictable while ensuring that economic activity remains properly monitored.
The ultimate test, however, will not be the number of reforms announced or approved. It will be whether businesses experience lower compliance costs, faster processes, greater regulatory certainty and fewer unnecessary administrative barriers.
For investors and entrepreneurs, implementation is the critical measure.
With 291 approved measures already fully operationalised and further reforms being worked through, Government is signalling that the next phase of the ease-of-doing-business agenda will increasingly depend on closing the gap between policy approval and implementation on the ground.
For the e-hailing industry, the five-month window provides a similar opportunity, this time to build a regulatory framework that protects passengers and strengthens accountability without suffocating an emerging sector that is already contributing to employment, mobility and the wider digital economy.
