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An overview of the historical development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT The paper analytically examines literature to explicate the history and development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Zimbabwe. The paper reviews various government policies that were initiated to promote the development and growth of the SME sector. The examination of related literature revealed that the history of SMEs stretches to the Rhodesian era. Various variables such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, economic meltdown and retrenchments have promoted the growth of the sector. The SME sector has significantly increased in the last decade due to various players coming in to support the growth and survival of small businesses. Though various government policies have failed to achieve the desired results due to a lack of pre-consultation before the implementation of these policies and the government lack serious commitment to support the sector. We recommend that there should be pre-consultation during policy development, SME database should be created and policies should not be just a blueprint without implementation.