Moffat Mungazi
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT’S commitment to industrial reconstruction has seen Manicaland surpassing its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) target of six percent for the Year 2024.
This was attributed to a host of value addition and infrastructure development projects being implemented in the province, contributing significantly to the 8 000 projects achieved nationwide since the inception of the Second Republic in 2017.
This came to light during the first leg of a nationwide media tour organised by the Ministry of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services.
The series of media tours, which started with Manicaland Province yesterday (Thursday), and brings together journalists from diverse media houses, is meant to showcase the developmental projects undertaken so far by the President Emmerson Mnangagwa-led Government.
During the tour of projects in Manicaland, media practitioners had the opportunity to get first-hand information on the production capacities of different companies as well as the agricultural raw material supply chain anchored by irrigation facilities.
In an interview on the sidelines of the tour, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere said the main aim of the tour is to give professional journalists an opportunity to tell the country’s true story about the Second Republic’s development trajectory.
Minister Muswere said Government will forge ahead with the initiative to have local content production of goods and services as an import substitution mechanism.
“We are delighted to be able to forge ahead with our leader, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s mantra that no place and no person should be left behind in the country’s development trajectory.
‘‘As a country, since the inception of the Second Republic, we have managed to put in place a total of 8 000 signature projects that speak to value addition of local products across all sectors, infrastructure development and devolution.
‘‘We are embarking on this tour so that professional journalists are separated from citizen journalists who might want to paint a gloomy picture about the development path that the Second Republic has been taken since President Mnangagwa took office in 2017.
“It is an opportunity for journalists to get first-hand information and facts on the ground on the projects that have been completed and those that are still being implemented.
‘‘As a Government, we will continue ensuring that we promote local industries and capacitate them to produce world class goods and services for the people of Zimbabwe,” said Minister Muswere.
In a separate interview, Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza confirmed that the province surpassed the six percent GDP target for the Year 2024.
“We are coming from a 4,3 percent GDP increase for the Year 2023, and we had a six percent target for the Year 2024. Even though we are still waiting for the actual figures, we have no doubt, with what we already have on the ground that we have surpassed our six percent target for the Year 2024.
‘‘This development has created thousands of jobs for locals, and we are continuously witnessing similar initiatives in all the seven districts of Manicaland. It is imperative to note that it is the able leadership of President Mnangagwa that has helped create an enabling environment for these projects to come to fruition,” said Minister Mugadza.
He paid tribute to Mega Market Company as well as Allied Timbers – some of the projects visited during the tour – for immensely contributing towards the attainment of the provincial GDP.
“Mega Market is one of the major contributors to the GDP of our province through their value addition of agricultural produce, notably wheat which is used for flour production. The same goes to Allied Timbers.
‘‘The timber industry is one of our key pillars of the provincial GDP. Our GDP increased by 4,3 percent in 2023, and we are saying, we have surpassed the six percent target of 2024.
“A lot of it has been attributed to the growth in the timber industry, where we were told that a growth of 25 percent was experienced. This is all due to the development trajectory being led by His Excellency, President Emmerson Mnangagwa,” said Advocate Mugadza.
Commenting on the irrigation projects at Roomsley and Tikwiri Irrigation Schemes in Makoni District, Minister Muswere said: “This is further testimony of the Second Republic’s thinking and determination to harness locally available resources to achieve development for our communities.
‘‘The two irrigation schemes, which are part of many others that were established since 2017, are using gradient to irrigate crops without much expensive materials needed. Irrigation schemes are a vital cog in industrial raw material production as well as food security, hence the importance we as Government attach to promoting irrigation schemes.”
Mega Market managing director, Mr Shiraan Ahmed, thanked Government for creating an enabling environment for the establishment of food processing industry.
Mr Ahmed urged the country’s central authority to level the playing field between the informal and formal sectors in business.
“As Mega Market, we are grateful to Government for creating an enabling environment that helped us establish an industry of this magnitude. We are looking forward to expand our operations in future, while also being mindful of the need to maintain in good shape what is already there.
“In equal measure, we strongly appeal to Government to level the playing field between the formal and informal sectors in order to achieve a win-win situation that ensures survival of both. This relates to all aspects of business operations,” said Mr Ahmed.
In the recent past, the allocation of ZiG$550,9 million in the 2025 National Budget highlights Government’s commitment to industrial reconstruction, including through the Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan (ZIRGP).
The policy plan follows the lapse of the Zimbabwe Industrial Development Policy (2019-2023) in December 2023.
ZIRGP aligns with the forthcoming National Development Strategy (NDS2), covering the period 2026-2030.
A further ZiG$100 million was apportioned specifically for industrial development finance, which is intended to facilitate retooling and provide essential working capital for greenfield projects.
The financial commitment sets a robust foundation for the successful execution of the ZIRGP, which aims to revitalise the industrial sector.
The targeted funding will be instrumental in stimulating innovation and fostering capacity building within critical local industries, ultimately strengthening their competitive edge.
Implementation of the ZIRGP has already commenced, with various value chains actively developing their implementation strategies.
A significant milestone in this process was the establishment of the Local Content Strategy Steering Committee for Manufacturing, which will oversee the adherence to local content policies to ensure that domestic production is prioritised.
This comes as Government has introduced several stringent measures aimed at bolstering local production capabilities.
Notably, the suspension of duty on inputs necessary for motor vehicle assembly is expected to breathe new life into the local automotive industry, allowing it to thrive in a more favourable economic environment.
Furthermore, Government is implementing rigorous anti-smuggling measures designed to safeguard domestic industries from unfair competition resulting from the influx of illegal imports, thus ensuring a level playing field for local manufacturers.
The ongoing development of value chains remains a key priority for Government, particularly in promoting the procurement of locally produced goods and enhancing mineral beneficiation.
This strategic focus is also aimed at mitigating the export of unprocessed raw minerals, thereby maximising the value derived from Zimbabwe’s rich natural resources and contributing to overall economic stability.
