The ManicaPost
Cletus Mushanawani
News Editor
AS local goods continue dominating wholesale and supermarket shelves, President Mnangagwa has urged companies, including Government departments, to decolonise their minds and embrace locally produced goods.
While most locally produced goods are of superior quality, some decision makers in most companies prefer imports.
Commissioning Mutare-based Verify Engineering’s acetylene gas plant last week on Wednesday, President Mnangagwa encouraged decision makers to embrace local products.
“I challenge more of us, including Government ministries, departments and agencies to support products and services being developed and produced by local companies.
The Made in Zimbabwe products must be our first choice.
“We still have companies, both in the public and private sectors, who are still stuck in the past. They are still procuring products and services from abroad, yet we have some of those products being manufactured locally. This is because they think that everything that is produced overseas is excellent,” said President Mnangagwa.
He encouraged stakeholders and value chain users of locally made products to continuously engage and give feedback in the spirit of improving the quality of local goods and services.
“The lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing global supply chain disruptions have laid bare the urgent need to build resilience and local capacities in all aspects of our lives to ensure national socio-economic self reliance.
“The establishment of the acetylene gas plant is most opportune and further attests to the inroads my administration has made towards the establishment and growth of national strategic institutions that deliver tangible results in the form of goods and services.
“As such, I call upon institutions of higher learning and associated set-ups like Verify Engineering to boldly and unapologetically seek new frontiers by developing solutions and products that accelerate industrialisation, modernisation and socio-economic development.
“I am confident that all your activities are ensuring that one of our greatest national assets – the brainpower of our young people – is effectively deployed to secure the sustainable economic prosperity of our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe,” said President Mnangagwa.
The buying of locally manufactured products has seen an increase in industrial capacity utilisation, anchored by the National Development Strategy (NDS1).
The economy has registered significant growth in the agriculture and mining sectors, among others, resulting in an upward growth trajectory.
Delivering a State of the Nation Address recently, President Mnangagwa said a steady increase in industrial capacity utilisation is being registered.
“Our manufacturing sector is benefiting from the Import Substitution Strategy and Local Content Policy launched by my Government, coupled with the favourable ease of doing business environment. Growth of the sector and a steady increase in industrial capacity utilisation is being registered.
“Our people are encouraged to deliberately buy ‘Proudly Zimbabwean’ brands, which now dominate our shop shelves. I urge our industrialists to broaden their research and development towards increasing the range and variety of ‘Made in Zimbabwe’ products.”
In a telephone interview, Buy Zimbabwe chairman, Mr Munyaradzi Hwengere said although there is a lot of support in promoting local goods in the food processing industry, a lot of work needs to be done, especially in the mining and infrastructural development sectors, to promote the acquisition of local products.
“Buy Zimbabwe is a multi-stakeholder initiative which encompass Government, business and the general public. We are getting a lot of traction in the food processing industry where players are opting for locally produced goods. Business is supposed to be the biggest beneficiary of this initiative and should support it and buy most of the products locally.
“However, from the latest figures we acquired from the Chamber of Mines, it showed that this industry is acquiring just 15 percent of its products locally, yet it is the leading foreign currency earner.
“There is need to support local industries in this sector, as failure to do so will result in exporting more jobs. Local companies need everyone’s support for them to grow and reach the same levels as their foreign competitors,” said Mr Hwengere.
He added: “We have a lot of infrastructural development projects currently underway and local suppliers should be the first priority to acquire products and services. We are into massive road and dam construction projects as a country, but are the local industries benefitting much?
“Yes, there is remarkable progress in engaging the local players, but some companies still prefer imports for products like bitumen, which is locally available. If we get most of the supplies locally, the attainment of Vision 2030 will be much easier. We should be patriotic and proud to be associated with Made in Zimbabwe goods.
