Priming Manicaland for growth
MANICALAND can turn into one of the country’s economic hubs if the province harnesses its natural resources and available business opportunities to fulfil the vast potential it boasts, the Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza has said.
Minister Mugadza made the remarks during his keynote address as the guest of honour at the Manicaland Provincial Business Indaba organised and hosted by The Manica Post at a city eatery last Friday.
Running under the theme: “Roadmap to Growing Manicaland’s Economy”, the inaugural edition of the indaba brought together captains of industry and other key stakeholders under one roof to exchange notes on economic and business opportunities abounding the province.
Minister Mugadza challenged the province to tap into and exploit the natural resources and human capital it is endowed with to turn around its economic fortunes. According to Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat), Manicaland’s provincial gross domestic product (GDP) realised a 6,1 percent growth rate in 2022; jumping to $21,8 billion up from $20,5 billion recorded the previous year.
“Manicaland’s provincial gross domestic product is growing, with agriculture outpacing the wholesale and retail sectors in contributing to that growth. As a province, we moved one position up the provincial GDP rankings, from sixth to fifth position in 2022. This is positive and encouraging. Let us leverage on our Godgiven resources and talents to transform lives in Manicaland and Zimbabwe at large,” said Minister Mugadza.
He added that the economic revival programmes must be spread across the breadth and length of the entire province in order to leave no one and no place behind during the developmental and transformational journey of a growing economy and better future.
“We need to fund development in the furthest areas of our province like Mahenye in Chipinge and Fombe in Nyanga to ensure that everyone benefits from the economic revival programmes. For too long, we have been talking of Special Economic Zones for
Manicaland and this is now the time to walk the talk. These SEZs are really game changers as locals tend to benefit more in terms of value addition and beneficiation of the abundant resources,” said Minister Mugadza.
Each of the seven districts in Manicaland has something to offer in terms of both the provincial and national GDP, said Minister Mugadza. He called for meaningful investments in those respective areas.
“In Buhera, we need to tap on the huge lithium reserves to have a world-class lithium processing plant; in Chimanimani, we need a fruit processing plant; in Chipinge, we need a macadamia processing plant; in Makoni we need a tobacco and hemp processing plant; in Mutare, we weed a diamond cutting and polishing plant; in Mutasa, we need more power generating plants and in Nyanga, we need timber processing plants as well as more tourism activities. Now is the time to harness the power of SEZs to transform our province and ensure our greatest days lie ahead,” he added.
Minister Mugadza said Government will continue implementing laws and policies that promote businesses and are favourable for growth. Doing away with the bureaucratic red tape also promotes the ease of doing business and prosperity, he added.
The Manicaland Provincial Business Indaba also discussed bankable and viable ways to awaken the sleeping giant.
A panel of distinguished business leaders also shared in-depth insights on various topics related to their respective areas of expertise.
Director for Economic Development in the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution Affairs, Mr Munyaradzi Rubaya, unpacked the country’s growth blueprint — National Development Strategy (NDS1) — and delved into how Manicaland can align its roadmap to growing the provincial economy to the 14 key pillars of NDS1.
He said this is crucial in pursuit of achieving an empowered and prosperous upper-middle income society by the year 2030 as enunciated by the national aspiration of Vision 2030.
City of Mutare’s Acting Town Clerk, Mr Blessing Chafesuka, interfaced the gathering on the role the local authority plays in promoting local business in order for them to effectively contribute to Manicaland’s economy.
The plenary sessions of the indaba saw deliberative panel discussions on access to international markets, industry’s needs, opportunities in tourism, agriculture and property investment as well as the respective sectors’ underrated revenue earners.
Among the panellists were ZimTrade regional manager, Mr Admire Jongwe, Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (Manicaland) president, Mr Bernard Makoni, real estate mogul, Mrs Sue Peters, Zimbabwe Miners Association regional representative for Manicaland, Ms Judith Shadaya, Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (Manicaland) president, Mr Adonis Mutigwe and the provincial mechanisation engineer in the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Mechanisation and Soil Conservation, Engineer Magama.
The business community and banking sector were represented, while entrepreneurs also attended the indaba.
City of Mutare, CBZ Bank, Kapoto Restaurant and Big Rock Logistics were among the organisers’ partners.
The Manica Post Editor, Mrs Nyakurerwa-Matinde, said the provincial business indaba provided a perfect platform to ignite the spark of the roadmap to growing Manicaland’s economy by bringing the relevant players to a roundtable.
“As suggested by its theme, the event sought to promote trade and investment in tourism, agriculture, mining and real estate sectors across Manicaland. We are impressed by the positive response from the province’s business community as we embark on this important journey together.
“We believe that the deliberations at the indaba will go a long way in benefiting Manicaland’s economy by taking it to the envisaged levels.
“We are grateful to everyone — partners, corporates and individuals — who were part of the event and their contributions were invaluable,” said Mrs Nyakurerwa-Matinde.
She said they will continue holding similar gatherings to drive Manicaland’s economic growth and development agenda.