3 companies eye Bulawayo’s Umvumila SEZs

Oliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter
A TOTAL of three companies have shown interest in undertaking feasibility studies for Umvumila area, which has been designated for development under the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) model in Bulawayo.

Early this year, Bulawayo City Council (BCC) announced that it had started engaging potential consultants to undertake feasibility studies for Umvumila area as part of progress towards implementation of SEZs in the city.

The Special Economic Zones (SEZs) is being implemented in Bulawayo’s Belmont, Donnington, Kelvin and Westerndale corridor as well as Umvumila area, a virgin piece of land covering about 188 hectares.

“There are some people who have expressed interest in the project but they are working with different partners so that they can develop that area,” BCC business development officer, Mr Kholisani Moyo, said.

“It’s an area that is still open to takers but what is key is that whoever wants to develop that area they should first of all do a detailed feasibility study of the area.”

Mr Moyo said once they come up with a detailed feasibility study, the initiative would then be taken for approval with BCC and the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (Zida).

The local authority has already done a pre-feasibility study for Umvumila under the SEZs initiative to identify the mapping and sectors that would be required in the planned industrial park.

Some of the industries that council has mooted for Umvumila are Information Communication Technology innovation park, steel fabrication and engineering sector and car assembly.

“We have other people who have expressed interest on undertaking feasibility studies on Umvumila but at this moment, I can’t reveal their names because they are still showing interest in developing that area.

“But we have three companies one is from South Africa and two are local,” he said.

The said potential investors for the Umvumila area, Mr Moyo, said, have come up with a concept paper for the development of the project.

“We have seen the concept paper for the project but they have to submit it to the funders so that they get the money for the feasibility study.

“Otherwise from a council point of view, we have not formally engaged them so that we can take the matter further to council. But we know these are the people who have expressed interest in developing that place.”

In September 2019, the Zimbabwe Special Economic Zones Authority that has since been dissolved following the formation of Zida, came up with an action plan for the implementation of the SEZs concept in Bulawayo.

It is hoped that the SEZs initiative would help Bulawayo restore its industrial hub status while improving Zimbabwe’s macro-economic capacity to produce goods and services competitively as well as creating economies of scale. — @okazunga.