Harare, (New Ziana) –There is need to strengthen linkages between the textile industry clusters, universities and research institutes to drive innovation and production, an expert has said. Zimbabwe Textile Manufacturing Association (ZTMA) president Admire Masenda said this in an interview with New Ziana on Wednesday.
“Collaboration between academia, industry, and Government is still fragile, shrinking innovation potential and commercialization,” he said, adding weak public-private linkages in the textile industry are affecting production.
He said strengthening public-private linkages will enable the textile sector to increase sustainable production and processing, innovation, skills, and institutional coordination.
The National Industrial Development Policy 2 (NIDP-2), to be anchored in the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS-2), will position agro-industrialisation and value addition, especially for cotton, as central pillars for economic transformation, hence the need for strong public-private linkages.
Its aims include export-oriented industrial growth, green industry promotion, technology modernisation, and decentralisation of industrial development to rural areas.
“Despite being a historically significant cotton producer, domestic processing has dwindled from 360 000 tons in 2011 down to just 13 000 tons in 2024. Domestic spinning firms face raw material shortages owing to preferential export of lint at the expense of local value addition. As local production collapsed, fabric imports surged, undermining jobs and undermining import substitution goals,” said Masenda.
He called for the use of inter-sectoral mechanisms such as the Industry Trade and Economic Relations Committee (ITERC) and Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI)-led platforms to coordinate pricing, policy adjustments and market logistics in real time.
“We must build export capacity by meeting regional demand for yarns, fabrics, and garments especially in Southern Africa, East Africa and later European Union (EU) markets under sustainability programmes. At the same we must consider enforcing limits on used clothing imports, support domestic brands using 100 percent cotton to establish niche positions, and raise product standards aligned with export regimes,” he said.
Studies have shown that US$200 million is required to modernise the country’s textile plants, including spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing, and an additional US$50 million for farmer support. Since 2023, several measures have been taken to improve the sector with Government and Agri-Value Chain (AVC) projects having retooled sites like the David Whitehead fabric plant in Chegutu and a spinning facility in Kadoma, reviving infrastructure for textile and edible oil extraction industries.
The Industrial Development Fund (IDF) also earmarked ZiG100 million to support agro-processing, including cotton-to-textile sector.
New Ziana
