Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE 44th Ordinary Session of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit, which takes place tomorrow (Saturday) in Mt Hampden, augurs well for Manicaland’s economic growth and development as the province currently boasts major value addition and beneficiation projects capable of attracting regional and foreign direct investments.
The summit, during which President Mnangagwa will assume the chairmanship of the regional bloc until August next year, will run under the theme: “Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development Towards an Industrialised SADC”.
However, it is the spinoffs of the summit that are exciting the people of Manicaland, whose exhibitors drawn from Mutare, Rusape, Nyanga, Mutasa and Chipinge, recently stole the thunder at the 7th SADC Industrialisation Week, with their unique and on-demand products.
Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, said some companies from the SADC region are already making enquiries on investment opportunities abound in the province.
“Manicaland is a great investment destination in Zimbabwe, and we are expecting to accrue benefits from both the SADC Summit and its industrialisation programme. A number of investors and industrialists operating in different parts of the province participated at the recent SADC Industrialisation Week, and the delegates were impressed by the products and services offered from this province. That only is a plus for the province.
“We already have a number of enquiries on investment opportunities abound in Manicaland from companies operating within the SADC region. Manicaland is the gateway to the Indian Ocean. We are only 300km from the Sea Port of Beira and coupled with sound investment policies derived from our leader President Mnangagwa, the province is a perfect investment destination. We also boast of good weather conditions as well as a myriad of other attributes that make us attractive to regional and foreign industrial investors.
“Our tourism is being revamped. It is on the rebound, and we are really looking forward to accruing a lot of benefits from the SADC Summit, given that many visitors have been taking notes on opportunities prevalent in Manicaland. We are looking forward to a very bright future in this respect,” said Minister Mugadza.
He also highlighted a number of industrial projects that dovetail into the regional bloc’s industrialisation thrust.
“We are now geared to embark on an intensive value addition of all the agricultural produce in all the seven districts of Manicaland.
“Already, we have macadamia crushing equipment that is now operational in Chipinge, but we feel we need much more, given the high levels of macadamia production in that district. In Chimanimani, we have Allied Timbers’ state-of-the-art milling plant, and we have been approached by other investors who want to put up other plants there. In Mutare, we have plants for value addition of baobab fruit. We have the same lined up for Honde Valley, where we have lots of fruits and vegetables being produced. Plans are underway to set a plant for drying and processing of these products.
“The same applies for Nyanga, where we have potatoes and apples, while in Makoni we have an investor who has approached us with the aim of setting up a tobacco processing plant. Our farmers will no longer take their produce to Harare, but to that local processing company,” he said.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) Manicaland chapter president, Mr Bernard Makoni said the SADC Summit will come with a lot of economic enablers.
“The SADC Summit will come with a lot of economic enablers. Being part of it, brings the freeing up of trade in Manicaland. It will bring about creation of larger markets, releasing potential for trade and economic development, growth and no doubt employment creation.
“Manicaland boasts so much in terms of industry and business potential, which the SADC Free Trade Area seeks to reach. This will increase domestic production, of which Manicaland is a hub, given its closeness to raw materials, resources and the added advantage of its proximity to the Sea Port of Beira,” said Mr Makoni.
Acting Mutare City Council Town Clerk, Mr Blessing Chafesuka, said local authorities can also help to lay bare investment opportunities abound in their areas of jurisdiction to augment the SADC industrialisation drive.
“This initiative brings together industrialists from the whole region to scout for possible opportunities. Local authorities, being regulators, have that obligation to support the business community in creating a conducive business environment which allows economic growth within the SADC region.
“Local authorities can also help expose investment opportunities abound in their areas of jurisdiction. This should be a deliberate strategy to grow economic activity in our towns, a process which has natural downstream or spill off benefits like employment creation, improved revenue collection for councils arising from more taxes, and improved standards of living.
“Councils also have the obligation to create incentives to attract potential investors through, for example, easy and quick licencing procedures, tax holidays, general order maintenance by municipal police, and any such related incentives that attract business. In fact, local authorities are governments at local level, and as such, should support all efforts by the Central Government in promoting business activities,” said Mr Chafesuka.
Zimbabwe is already warming to the historic summit, and it is all systems go for the event.
SADC’s executive secretary, Mr Elias Magosi, is on record saying, Zimbabwe is committed to ensuring a unique gathering of the bloc’s Heads of State and Governments and their delegations.
“We also want to make sure that there is bigger visibility for Heads of State when they come into a country like Zimbabwe. They should not just come in and out, but should actually be here for some time and meet the citizens. So he (President Mnangagwa) bought into the idea, and he said he will engage his colleagues and make sure that they do that.
“They are not often seen physically; they are often seen on television and so forth, so, it is important that people appreciate that these (the leaders) are human as well. They can appreciate projects that are happening around the member states,” said Mr Magosi.
