Bulawayo, (New Ziana)-The Zimbabwe Leather Development Council (ZLDC) has urged the government to consider granting local manufacturers exclusive rights to supply footwear to the uniformed forces in the country.
ZLDC chairman Clemence Shoko said this in an interview on the sidelines of the launch of the Zimbabwe Satellite Designs Studio and equipment project on Monday.
The project, which was funded by the European Union through the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
(COMESA), has seen the country getting two design studios, one in Harare and another in Bulawayo.
The studios have the latest technology for designing shoes which allows Zimbabwe to compete well with regional and international producers of leather products.
Shoko said the sector is ready to meet demand but needs policy intervention to secure the lucrative contracts currently dominated by foreign suppliers.
“We have a low-hanging fruit in the form of the uniformed forces’ requirement for boots, both the police and military. We would like this particular market serviced by us because we think, aided by these opportunities, whatever challenges the market could say we are not good at, we are now in a position to deliver,” she said.
He said a Presidential directive mandating local procurement would rapidly transform the leather value chain, turning raw hides into finished products and boosting employment.
Shoko cited Kenya’s success in similar policies, documented in a study by the National Competitiveness Commission (NCC), as a model that Zimbabwe should adopt.
“We are in the COMESA region, we can only copy and paste some of these things. In our situation, we would like to ask our own government to give a Presidential declaration that within a given period, we can find ourselves being the sole supplier of the army and police boots,” he said.
He said ZLDC has already secured a letter of support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to seek funding for a sole production plant, adding that the move has attracted interest from regional partners like the African Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALPI).
“We wrote to the Ministry asking if they could support the leather value chain with finances to open up a plant. We got that support letter, and it helped us engage partners who are now assisting us. Before the end of the year, the sole plant will be in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Speaking at the same ocassion, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, Fanuel Tagwira, said despite the country`s rich leather heritage including high-quality crocodile, ostrich, and kettle hides, the sector remains underdeveloped, contributing only 2 percent to the GDP, while employing over 50 000 artisans and workers directly.
He said said the sector is facing a myriad of challenges such as competition from cheap imports and lack of modern equipment.
“The World Bank estimates that sub-Saharan Africa’s fashion and leather markets are projected to grow at 9 percent annually and the country should seize this opportunity,” he said, adding that investment in skills and technology is critical in order for the country to compete globally.
“Technology alone is not enough. We must develop skills, foster creativity, and build entrepreneurial resilience to compete globally,” he said.
New Ziana
