Douglas Muzimba

Douglas Muzimba is a holder of Bachelor Honours Degree in Economics and a Master of Science Degree in Economics, both from the University of Zimbabwe. He is also a holder of a Diploma in Customs Legislation and Procedures and various professional certificates in the areas of taxation, trade and development, policy analysis and research.

Douglas Muzimba has over 15 years of working experience in public policy, customs & trade, advisory and research at the National Treasury of the Republic of Zimbabwe, having joined the institution in 2006 as an Economist. During his tenure at the Treasury, he rose through the ranks to the position of Deputy Director, responsible for Customs and Trade issues. He was part of the technical team that produced various national blueprints and also worked with various international organisations that include International Trade Centre (ITC), African Union (AU), World Bank (WB); International Monetary Fund (IMF), African Development Bank (AfDB); World Trade Organization (WTO); Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); Southern Africa Development Community (SADC); the European Union (EU), among other Development Partners. He was instrumental in trade negotiations for Zimbabwe for bilateral, regional and multilateral Free Trade Areas such as SADC, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Eastern and Southern Africa European Union Economic Partnership Agreement and Zimbabwe – United Kingdom Economic Partnership Agreement. Douglas left the national Treasury in June 2021 and in July 2021, joined the National Competitiveness Commission (NCC), whose mandate is to facilitate the creation of a competitive environment for Zimbabwean business through the development, coordination and implementation of key policy improvements required for domestic, regional and global competitiveness.

Currently, Douglas is the Chief Economist, International Competitiveness at the NCC. His key functions are to:  

• Conduct international competitiveness benchmarking against comparator countries in Regional and International Economic Communities
• Undertake outreach and engagements with regional and international competitiveness institutions and Development Partners for building coalitions and partnerships 
• Coordinate all data collection required by international competitiveness institutions such as World Economic Forum, World Bank, Institute of Management Development, among others, for calculating the country’s international competitiveness indicators’ scores and rankings 
• Analyse the country’s international competitiveness performance i.e., scores and rankings using various indicators that include the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index and World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business, among others
• Identify international and private standards and requirements under International Organisations for Standards (ISO), WTO, the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, the OIE, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the European Commission, the Food and Drug Administration in the US, among others, and develop a compendium thereof, by sector, product, and country.
• Identify, analyse and develop a matrix of Export Promotion Incentives that enhances competitiveness of Zimbabwean goods and services in international markets and disseminate the same to local industry
• Conduct International Competitiveness surveys 
• Identify and analyse regional and international tariffs as well Bilateral, Regional and Multilateral Trade Agreements and Protocols that impact on global competitiveness 
• Identify and analyse Bilateral Investment Treaties and Double Taxation Agreements that impact on global competitiveness