HARARE- Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube kicked off what he has dubbed “listening roadshows” by holding a private meeting with 50 chief executive officers of some of Zimbabwe’s leading companies in Harare on Wednesday.

The ministry said in a statement following the meeting that the aim was “to consult and listen to the challenges they are facing operating in Zimbabwe.”

“Issues raised by Zimbabwe’s leading chief executive officers include the prohibitive cost of finance, shortage of foreign currency, high import duties, uncompetitive business environment and bureaucracy,” the statement said.

Ncube and the business executives discussed possible solutions to the challenges the business leaders are experiencing operating in Zimbabwe.

“The minister promised to take into account the issues raised and proposed solutions as he kicks off his mandate to make Zimbabwe a middle-income country by 2030,” the statement added.

Among the executives at the meeting were the CEOs of Anglo America, British American Tobacco, the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ), CDF Investments Trust, the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, Delta Beverages, Dulux Paints, Ecobank, EcoCash, Econet, Fast JET, FBC Bank, GEM Group, Imara, Innscor, La Farge Cement, Levy Group, Lobels, Masimba Holdings, Meikles Hotels, Minerva, National Foods, Nedbank, NMB Bank Limited, Old Mutual Group, Pick & Pay, Pulse Pharmaceuticals, RioZim, Securico, Stanbic Bank, Standard Chartered, Steward Bank, TelOne, Total Zimbabwe, United Refineries and Zimplats.

Ncube is set to take his roadshow countrywide before a key ministerial statement expected later this month where he will make major fiscal policy pronouncements, including the demonetization of the bond notes.