Zimbabwe has announced the removal of 291 licences, permits, levies and fees as part of efforts to lower the cost of doing business and encourage formalisation of the economy.

The measures target charges that small and medium enterprises have long cited as barriers to growth. By reducing the number of approvals required, the government says it hopes to reduce red tape and attract investment.

However, commentators note that many of the charges were created and enforced by the same public institutions that are now abolishing them. Social justice activist Kumbirai Thierry Nhamo said the move should be welcomed, but also questioned whether it reflects a genuine shift in policy or a temporary clean-up exercise.

The activist argued that the government has spent years telling people to formalise while creating so many rules that compliance becomes its own business. Removing 291 charges, he said, suggests the problem was never just a few bad fees.

Business owners often spend significant time and money obtaining permits from multiple departments before they can operate. Economists note that informality in Zimbabwe is frequently driven by the cost and complexity of compliance rather than by choice.

The government has not yet published the full list of charges to be removed, but says the changes will be implemented immediately.