Cletus Mushanawani
News Editor
THE realisation of Vision 2030 is imminent as local companies are leveraging on the Second Republic’s holistic policies that cut across all sectors to spur economic growth, President Mnangagwa has said.
Speaking in Chimanimani last Friday as he commissioned the Allied Timbers Zimbabwe US$13,3 million state-of-the-art Cashel Sawmill, President Mnangagwa commended the people of Zimbabwe for their work ethic.
“The realisation of Vision 2030 and the prosperity of our great nation is imminent. Through our culture of hard honest work and innovation, we are setting up rural industry systems and infrastructure, as well as rebuilding our industries and the economy. Brick by brick and stone upon stone, the quality of life for our people is improving,” said the President.
In Manicaland, players in the mining, timber, energy and Fast Moving Commodity Goods (FMCG) sectors have found their footing and are operating above 60 percent capacity utilisation.
Despite the harsh operating economic environment, the companies have adopted new technologies with the aim of benefiting from the lucrative export market to ensure rapid economic transformation.
In the energy sector, Verify Engineering is making massive investments in the production of medical and industrial oxygen.
On Wednesday, President Mnangagwa was at Feruka in Mutare to commission Verify Engineering’s acetylene gas plant, a demonstration of the company’s renewed determination to be a leading innovator in the provision of cutting edge technologies and related engineering support services to meet national and regional needs.
Acetylene is a utility industrial gas which when combined with oxygen forms oxy-acetylene that is used for metal fabrication.
It is also used as a reagent in chemical production processes.
It further improves the quality of cut metals and enhances efficiencies of gas across industries.
“Given the ongoing infrastructure development and growth of our industries in our country, products from this particular plant are set to propel the industrialisation and modernisation of our economy with regards to steel and metal based fabrication.
“Working in conjunction with ZimTrade, prospects for an export led growth strategy remain feasible given that most economies are on a drive to build back better and stronger,” said President Mnangagwa.
Manicaland scored a first last year when President Mnangagwa commissioned Verify Engineering’s medical oxygen and solar plants at Feruka in Mutare.
Verify Engineering has the capacity to produce 30 tonnes, 16.5 tonnes and 2.5 tonnes of gaseous oxygen, liquid oxygen and nitrogen respectively per day.
This production capacity will result in national self-sufficiency of these products.
Scope already exists to export surplus gas into the region to strengthen the regional capacity and tackle emerging challenges such as Covid-19.
The Verifying Engineering projects are also part of the Second Republic’s Science, Innovation and Technology Strategy whose key objective is to foster the development and production of high quality local products as a means to leapfrog Zimbabwe’s economy growth.
While things are definitely looking up in the energy sector, all the other facets of the provincial economy, including the timber industry, are following suit.
Last week, as President Mnangagwa commissioned Allied Timbers Zimbabwe’s multi-million state-of-art sawmill in Chimanimani, he commended the company for a successful turn-around.
“The project is concrete evidence that Allied Timbers Zimbabwe has taken full advantage of my Government’s positive policies to successfully implement its turnaround strategy. Internal funds were used to undertake this and other projects,” he said.
President Mnangagwa added: “The company is now well positioned to contribute to the infrastructure and construction sectors of our country in line with National Development Strategy (NDS1).
He also spoke strongly against the lawlessness being experienced in the timber and gold panning sectors, where some individuals have become law unto themselves as they destroy the environment.
“Undoubtedly, the forestry, wood and timber processing sectors provide a wide range of economic and social benefits to our society. It is, however, disheartening to note that timber poaching, illegal mining and settlements in the plantations continue to affect the sector.
“We cannot afford any further disturbances on the country’s commercial plantations and forestry areas, among other protected environmental ecosystems. I call upon the local communities to support environmental protection programmes,” said President Mnangagwa.
He added: “I call upon everyone to decisively reverse deforestation in the province as well as other undesirable activities within our forestry plantations.”
Another timber producing giant, Wattle Company which employs 2 000 workers and grows wattle trees in Chimanimani and Chipinge, recently commissioned a veener plant at its headquarters, also in Nyakamete Industrial Area. Wattle exports its products – mainly electricity poles – to South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is now eyeing the Chinese and Malaysian markets.
In the FMCG sector, work is progressing on well at the US$25 million Mega Market maize and wheat milling plant in Mutare’s Nyakamete Industrial Area.
Willowton, another active player in the FMCG sector, is focusing on edible oil.
In the mining sector, Manicaland is set to leverage on its gold and diamonds, as well as the multi-million-dollar phosphate and lithium mines in Buhera, among other projects.
Addressing Manicaland captains of industry during a tour of industries in Mutare last year, President Mnangagwa said Government has put in place the Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy and the Local Content Strategy to grow the country’s manufacturing sector in line with National Development Strategy (NDS1).
In pursuit of Vision 2030, the country is working towards attaining an upper middle income economy in the next eight years.
Vision 2030 is underpinned by NDS1 of 2021-2025, which was preceded by the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (October 2018-December 2020).
NDS1 shall then be succeeded by the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) — from 2026-2030 — to ensure that the country achieves an upper middle income economy by 2030.