Zimbabwe slashes business licence fees across 13 sectors

Cabinet has approved a fresh round of licence fee reductions across 13 sectors of the economy as government steps up efforts to improve Zimbabwe’s ease of doing business in the latest Mop-Up Review exercise.

The latest reforms were approved under the Mop-Up Review of Licences, Permits, Levies and Fees charged by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), covering the agriculture, education, transport, sport and natural stone export subsectors.

Presenting the review, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the exercise aimed to complete the review by addressing sectors not covered in the initial phase of reforms.

“To ensure that the Ease of Doing Business review of licences, permits, levies and fees comprehensively covers all sectors of the economy, Cabinet extended the process to include outstanding sectors and subsectors that were not covered during the review of the initial 13 priority sectors approved on July 29, 2025,” Ncube said.

“The residual sectors and subsectors comprise agriculture, education, transport, sport and the natural stone export subsector.”

Zimbabwe launched an ambitious programme last year to overhaul its regulatory framework by reducing business licensing costs, consolidating fragmented permits, eliminating duplicate charges and capping fees paid by small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Ncube said Cabinet had now approved further measures to streamline the regulatory environment.

“Cabinet approved the streamlining of duplicated and overlapping regulatory licences and permits, removed unnecessary levies and fees, and lowered unjustifiably high residual levies and fees,” he said.

The government is expected to release a detailed schedule outlining the specific licences, permits, and fees that have been reduced or abolished in the latest phase of the reforms.