By Staff Reporter
HUIZHOU, China– ZANU PF National Secretary for Economic Affairs, Cde Lt Gen (Rtd) Dr. Engelbert A. Rugeje, is currently leading a high-powered delegation on a strategic investment mission across the People’s Republic of China, aimed at securing mid-to-downstream industrial partnerships for Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth.
The mission follows the Zimbabwean Government’s recent ban on the export of raw natural resources, a move designed to mandate local value addition and beneficiation. The delegation is focused on attracting global players to the country’s newly established Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
Accompanying Dr. Rugeje are ZANU PF Director for Economic Affairs, Hon. Anastancia Ndhlovu, and senior government technical experts, including Mashonaland Central Provincial Mining Director Mr. Tendai Kashiri and Metallurgist Mr. Taurai Blessing Dhliwayo who is the Deputy Director for Research, Value Addition, and Beneficiation in the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.
In Huizhou, the delegation engaged in high-level talks with the Huizhou International Gemstones Association, led by its President, Mr. Ye Shudong, and Vice President Dr. Su Xilong. The Zimbabwean team toured the complete gemstone value chain, observing the transformation of raw stones into high-end jewelry, tiles, and specialized building materials.
Crucially, the mission also inspected manufacturing plants for value addition equipment, signaling the ZANU PF Government’s intent to import the technology necessary to process minerals domestically.
“This is a deliberate policy decision taken by His Excellency President Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa’s ZANU PF Government to promote value addition and beneficiation of our abundant resources,” Dr. Rugeje stated. He noted that the mission is a direct extension of the ‘Zimbabwe Is Open for Business’ mantra and promotion of the 2026 launch of new SEZs by the Minister of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion, Hon Prof. Mthuli Ncube across many Provinces.
The delegation also visited UBetter Technology Company Limited, a leading lithium battery assembly plant. The visit underscored Zimbabwe’s ambition to move beyond lithium mining and into the manufacturing of green energy solutions.
Dr. Xilong Su, a renowned gemstones expert, expressed confidence in the initiative, stating that Zimbabwe possesses the potential to emerge as the Southern African hub for gemstone processing.
The delegation is scheduled to travel from Huizhou to Guangzhou for further engagements with industrial leaders and potential investors. This mission marks a significant step by ZANU PF through its Department of Economic Affairs’ efforts to transition Zimbabwe from a raw material exporter to a diversified industrial economy across many sectors.
