‎Harare, (New Ziana)– Zimbabwe has set an ambitious target of increasing Zimbabwe’s manufactured exports to at least US$1 billion annually by 2030 as part of a broader strategy to transform the country into a competitive industrial and export-driven economy, a senior government official has said.
‎Addressing industry leaders during a high-level meeting focused on export growth and industrial development, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Tedious Chifamba said Zimbabwe’s industrialisation agenda remains firmly anchored on Vision 2030 which seeks to transform the country into a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income economy by the end of the decade.
‎Chifamba said the implementation of the Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy (ZNIDP) 2026-2030 would place greater emphasis on outward-oriented growth, enabling local manufacturers to fully exploit opportunities presented by regional and continental markets.
“This meeting arrives at a time of immense cross-border opportunity. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), alongside our SADC and COMESA protocols, provides our manufacturing sector with an open market of over 1.3 billion consumers.
Zimbabwean products must not merely participate in these regional value chains, they must dominate them. Currently, our intra-African trade remains heavily confined to our traditional SADC and COMESA neighbours, with South Africa standing as our largest market. The AfCFTA demands that we expand our horizons far beyond these borders,” said Chifamba.
‎‎Despite these opportunities, he said a recent survey by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) revealed that many large firms are not yet ready to compete under the AfCFTA framework, adding that although Zimbabwe’s Category A tariff offer was verified by the AfCFTA Secretariat in 2024, the country was unable to participate in the Guided Trade Initiative due to delays in domesticating and operationalising the required legal framework.
“We hear your concerns regarding the high cost of production, antiquated industrial machinery, intermittent utility supplies, and transport logistics inefficiencies. Let me assure you, the Government of Zimbabwe will actively execute a sequenced strategy to shift our position from a potential import market to a highly competitive exporting powerhouse.
The Ministry has organized this platform with a singular, clear, and ambitious objective, to pave an unshakeable path for Zimbabwean manufactured goods to dominate the continental market. Our target is bold but entirely within reach, we expect to scale up manufactured exports to achieve a landmark contribution of at least US$1 billion annually by 2030,” Chifamba said.
He said, central to this strategy, is the country’s transition from a commodity-dependent economy to a high-value, innovation and knowledge-driven industrial economy.
‎Under Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), Government, said Chifamba, expects the manufacturing sector to contribute at least 25 percent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). To support this goal, he said ZNIDP 2 prioritises increased manufacturing growth, improved capacity utilisation and a significant rise in manufactured exports.
‎He also revealed that notable progress had already been achieved under the Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan (ZIRGP), with manufacturing capacity utilisation improving to 57.3 percent, demonstrating the sector’s resilience and potential for expansion.
‎However, he warned that export performance remained a major concern with manufactured exports accounting for only 5.9 percent of total merchandise exports in 2025, while manufactured imports represented approximately 60 percent of the country’s total import bill.
‎”This reflects an over-reliance on imported finished products and highlights the fact that a significant portion of our industrial capacity remains under-utilised,” he said.
‎To reverse the trend, Government is promoting value addition and beneficiation across strategic sectors including cotton, tobacco, leather, sugar, lithium, chrome, iron and steel, said Chifamba, adding that measures are also being introduced to discourage raw and semi-processed exports while incentivising the production and export of finished goods.
‎Efforts are also underway to strengthen domestic supply chains through the local production of intermediate goods such as craft paper, tallow, maize starch and caustic soda, reducing import dependency and improving industrial competitiveness, he said.
‎Chifamba said Government was adopting a Whole-of-Government Approach to lower the cost of doing business by streamlining regulations and reducing compliance costs, which currently consume a significant share of business expenditure.
‎In addition, authorities are investing in transport infrastructure, modernising border logistics and working closely with institutions such as the Competition and Tariff Commission and ZimTrade to safeguard local industry while expanding access to regional markets.
‎He identified steel and engineering, food and beverages, construction materials and agricultural inputs as sectors with strong export potential under the AfCFTA framework.
‎”Our steel and engineering industry is well-positioned to support Africa’s infrastructure boom, while our food and beverage sector can leverage Zimbabwe’s strong agricultural base to export premium processed products,” Chifamba said.
‎He also highlighted opportunities in ceramic tiles, agricultural implements and drought-resistant crop seed varieties.
‎However, he cautioned that success in continental markets would depend heavily on compliance with quality standards, technical regulations and sanitary and phytosanitary requirements.
‎”Market access is meaningless without standards compliance. We want every manufactured product leaving Zimbabwe to carry an uncompromised badge of global quality,” he said.
‎He called for stronger collaboration between Government and the private sector, stressing that economic transformation would require significant private-sector investment in factory retooling, technology adoption and market expansion.
‎”The Government’s role is to create an enabling environment, but true industrial transformation will happen when industry leaders invest boldly, embrace emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and pursue new export opportunities across Africa,” Chifamba said.
‎”The time has come for Zimbabwe to aggressively scale up its exports. We must think beyond our traditional markets and position ourselves as a preferred investment destination for businesses seeking access to the vast AfCFTA marketplace,” he said.
New Ziana
