By Thabisani Dube
HARARE – Zimbabwe’s industrial sector is undergoing a major transformation, with Government strengthening the manufacturing sector through investment, value addition and strategic financing.
The Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Expo 2026, which begins on Thursday, will bring together Government officials, industry leaders, financiers, researchers and development partners to explore practical pathways for accelerating industrialisation in line with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030.
Speaking during a media briefing ahead of the conference, Permanent Secretary for Industry and Commerce Ambassador Tadeous Chifamba (pictured) said Zimbabwe’s industrial sector was shifting from traditional manufacturing to a modern, competitive and forward-looking industry capable of participating effectively in regional and global markets.
Companies are now repositioning themselves to take advantage of emerging opportunities, driven by developments in the iron and steel, food and beverage, cement and fertiliser industries among others.
He said the Ministry of Industry and Commerce is working with that of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services to ensure the media communicated Zimbabwe’s industrial transformation.
“That transformation must be accompanied by a narrative change. Let us be a lot more positive about the developments that are upcoming,” he said.
Ambassador Chifamba urged journalists to highlight investment opportunities and economic progress as Zimbabwe advances towards Vision 2030.
He also challenged the perception that opportunities exist only outside the country, saying while some young Zimbabweans are leaving in search of employment, foreign investors were coming to Zimbabwe to pursue business opportunities.
Ambassador Chifamba said industrialisation under the National Development Strategy 2 would focus on increasing value addition to agricultural and mineral resources through expanded manufacturing.
He said greater emphasis would be placed on local fertiliser production to strengthen food security, while downstream industries linked to the iron and steel sector were expected to generate quality employment opportunities, particularly for young people.
“We are not only talking about urban industrialisation; we are also talking about rural industrialisation,” he said.
Ambassador Chifamba said dedicated conference sessions would examine ways of bringing manufacturing and value addition closer to rural communities to reduce rural-to-urban migration and stimulate local economic development.
He said digital technologies would also play an important role in Zimbabwe’s industrial transformation, with discussions focusing on how artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies could improve productivity and industrial competitiveness.
Specialised sessions involving key information and communication technology institutions will also examine strategies for strengthening digital infrastructure, addressing existing technological gaps and supporting Zimbabwe’s transition towards a knowledge-based economy.
The conference’s lead researcher and industrialisation expert, Professor Gift Mugano, said mobilising finance for industrial development will be one of the conference’s central priorities.
He said the gathering will bring together Government, pension funds, commercial banks, development finance institutions and private investors to identify practical financing mechanisms that support industrial growth.
Professor Mugano said pension funds remained an important source of long-term capital because of their substantial investments in infrastructure and shareholding in commercial banks, adding that discussions would explore how these resources could better support productive industrial investment.
He said Zimbabwean banks are holding between US$60 million and US$70 million sourced from multilateral financial institutions but face challenges deploying owing to shortage of bankable industrial projects.
Professor Mugano added that value-chain financing would also feature prominently during the conference, citing the tobacco sector where about 95 percent of production financing comes from value-chain partners rather than commercial banks.
Similar financing models could be expanded into mining, manufacturing, value addition and mineral beneficiation to increase investment across productive sectors of the economy.
Asked whether Zimbabwe was ready to compete under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Professor Mugano said the country was well positioned to benefit from the continental market.
He said Zimbabwean products were becoming increasingly visible on supermarket shelves while manufactured exports continued to grow across regional markets.
Professor Mugano said Zimbabwe’s export earnings had grown in recent years and projected that the country could realise about US$20 billion in export earnings this year.
