Wither Zimbabwe- confusion reigns over growth

Only yesterday Finance Minister Tendai Biti said Zimbabwe’s economic growth could exceed the government’s forecast of 9.3 percent in 2011. “I genuinely believe the growth rate could be higher, mainly because of the strong performance of international commodity prices. The food crisis is helping us as we are in a surplus position in grains.”

Also yesterday, the International Monetary Fund said Zimbabwe’s economic growth could slow down to 5.5 percent “an inefficient composition of expenditure, rising vulnerabilities in the financial system, and the recent announcement of the fast-track indigenisation of the mining sector”.

Two months ago, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said he saw Zimbabwe’s economy growth to $100 billion a year by 2030, from the current $5.6 billion.

Whose figures should Zimbabweans believe? Biti’s,Tsvangirai or the IMF’s?

Private investment company Imara has argued over the past year that Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product is grossly underestimated. Imara head in Zimbabwe John Legat even argued that politics would take a back seat in Zimbabwe this year.

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