Major boost for industrialisation
BY harnessing its abundant natural resources and through collaborative partnerships between governments, Africa can wean itself from depending on foreign countries and accelerate its industrialisation and modernisation through value addition and beneficiation, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) president and Board Chairperson, Professor Benedict Oramah, has said.
Already, Zimbabwe is on that path as it moves towards Vision 2030, by looking inwardly for its development, modernisation and industrialisation, with the setting up of industrial parks with the US$13 billion Mapinga Industrial Park being one of several examples.
The park, among other facilities, houses a mine-to-energy industrial section which will see the development of a local lithium-ion battery value chain, that will potentially make the country one of the producers of lithium-ion batteries used to power electric vehicles.
In an interview after paying a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa, who has been attending the Inter-Africa Trade Fair here, Prof Oramah said the future of Zimbabwe through policies and projects that are being implemented by the Second Republic is bright.
“As Afreximbank, we are helping to support industrialisation including lithium, the battery minerals that we want to see how we can begin to beneficiate more. We also discussed the export agriculture initiative for food security in Africa. We welcome trade between the Egyptian government, Malawi and Zimbabwe who are using collaborative approaches to improve food production and inter-regional trade in wheat, soya bean, maize, rice and meat so that we are no longer over-dependent on others for these products,” he said.
President Mnangagwa along with his Egyptian counterpart President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and President of Malawi Lazarus Chakwera yesterday attended the official opening of Inter Africa Trade Fair, which is part of the African agenda and coincides with the finalisation of the continent’s development plan until 2063.
“These Heads of State decided that it was time for us to take the future into our own hands, use our abundant water resources, abundant arable land and put them to good use and stop dependence on other markets for the supply of these critical needs of our people, we expect that this will enable us not only to feed ourselves but to also create wealth in Africa,” Prof Oramah said.
He said while in the past Africa’s future was decided in foreign countries, the continent’s leadership has decided it is time to chart its own destiny.
“We just signed the framework today, so we have started. Very soon all the necessary studies that are intended to be done will be done and what we have outlined, setting up agro-processing industries and industrial parks will commence. We have moved from talking to acting, so l expect that in a very short time, we will see the results. So we are no longer talking about it, we are doing,” Prof Oramah said.
In Zimbabwe, Afreximbank is constructing a US$80 million Africa Trade Centre and Regional Offices, which will make Harare an intra-African trade hub and support the city’s rejuvenation as an important centre for financial services.
Boasting features such as a major conference centre, a trade information centre, world class hotel and a tech incubation lab, the centre is billed to accommodate regional, global and development institutions that will also make it an attractive project to investors.
Afreximbank, in collaboration with the African Union and AfCFTA Secretariat, held the IATF 2023 at the Egypt Exhibition and Convention Centre under the theme, “Connecting African Markets”.
According to the African Development Bank Group (AFDB), US$43 billion worth of trade and investment deals are expected to close at IATF 2023.
THE National Blood Services Zimbabwe (NBSZ) has intensified efforts to increase the country’s blood stocks, with a target to collect over 13 000 units of blood to cater for the upcoming festive season demand.
Yesterday, the NBSZ launched its festive season blood collection campaign, which will run until the first week of January next year, and is expected to ensure the country does not run out of blood.
Speaking during the launch, NBSZ chief executive Ms Lucy Marowa said there was a higher demand for blood during the festive season owing the increased number of road accidents.
“We are starting this second week of November and our campaign will run up to the first week of January,” she said.
“We are targeting a collection of 13 370 units throughout the country.
“We estimate that this should be enough to take us through the month of January. However, it is only possible when both adults and school leavers alike come together and donate blood.”
NBSZ operates from five branches in Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Gweru and Mutare.
Schoolchildren make up the majority of the country’s blood donors, with adults accounting for about 10 percent of blood collections.
But the festive season coincides with the closure of the third school term and decreased supply owing to the public examinations held this term.
“When our collections are low during the term, if we do not take the right steps to prepare for the festive season, it means that we will go in without adequate stocks and this coupled with the heightened need for blood, is a recipe for disaster,” said Ms Marowa.
“This is why every year we take it upon ourselves to partner with organisations, individuals who are prepared to help the nation through campaigning for more blood donors from the school leavers and adult communities for us to boost the stocks, so that we have enough blood to tide us over until schools reopen in January.”
Ms Marowa called upon the corporate community to partner the NBSZ to increase blood donations from the adult population.
NBSZ is mandated to supply public health institutions with blood products which are then provided for free to any patient in need.
“We have to make sure the product is available to make sure that at any time, the blood stocks are available as and when required,” said Ms Marowa.
“In the previous years we were affected by Covid-19 and we have not been able to get enough stocks as required but I am happy to announce that we have recorded marked improvement this year and we have seen blood collection improving drastically from the past three years and we would like to see the same happening over the festive season.”
Last year, blood collections for the year stood at 59 300 units. By June this year, collections had reached 63 000 units indicating that the target for 87 700 units is achievable.
With the plan to engage youths, NBSZ has Ms Patience Madzima, a member of the Pledge 25, encouraging youths to participate in the blood donation drive as well as other campaigns that run throughout the year.
“I want to encourage the young people in Zimbabwe to make sure that in this festive season, come through and donate blood because 15 percent of our donations come from the Pledge 25 club,” she said.
“Our goal is to make sure we capture those who have left school so that they become continuous blood donors.”
Mr Tinotenda Mapurisa, a blood donor, said donating blood saves lives. ◆ Full story on www.herald.co.zw