Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka, [email protected]
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa’s vision of poverty reduction, women empowerment, food sovereignty, youth employment and rural industrialisation has inspired the transformative 500 Women Chilli Project being implemented in Lupane and surrounding communities, African Food Revolution director Mr Makhosi Godonga Mahlangu has said.
Mr Mahlangu said this after he had the opportunity to brief President Mnangagwa on the initiative when the Head of State and Government toured exhibition stands during the launch of the 2026 National Culture Month commemorations at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo last Thursday.
President Mnangagwa toured the stand in the company of Vice-President Kembo Mohadi.
Mr Mahlangu said the engagement with the President provided him an opportunity to showcase a project that is transforming rural livelihoods while advancing Government’s development agenda under Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy (NDS) frameworks.
He said the project was a direct response to the Second Republic’s development philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind.
These interventions are in strict alignment with Zimbabwe’s economic blueprint, the National Development Strategy 1 and 2 (NDS1 and NDS2) frameworks, which steer the nation towards achieving an Upper-Middle-Income Economy by 2030 (Vision 2030).
“We had the privilege of meeting His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa to discuss the transformative 500 Women Chilli Project currently being implemented in Lupane District and surrounding communities,” said Mr Mahlangu.
“This initiative is inspired by His Excellency’s development philosophy, which places people at the centre of economic transformation.
“It is aligned to the President’s vision on poverty reduction, women empowerment, food sovereignty, youth employment and rural industrialisation as espoused under Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 1 and 2 frameworks.”
Mr Mahlangu said the project goes beyond conventional farming and represents a broader model for community-driven industrial transformation.
“During our discussion with the President, I explained that this is not merely an agricultural programme, but a rural industrialisation and food systems transformation model designed to empower women through indigenous value chains, agroecology and community-based enterprise development,” said Mr Mahlangu.
“The 500 Women Chilli Project seeks to place thousands of chilli seedlings into the hands of rural women farmers while integrating training in sustainable agriculture, value addition, market access and traceability systems.”
Mr Mahlangu said the initiative combines indigenous knowledge systems with modern technologies to create a resilient and commercially viable value chain in Matabeleland North. “We are combining traditional knowledge with modern technologies such as GIS mapping, geotagging and climate-smart production methods to build a sustainable chilli economy that benefits rural communities,” he said.
“Our philosophy is simple — Our Food, Our Heritage, Our Future. Zimbabwe’s rural communities possess immense untapped agricultural knowledge and biodiversity that can drive economic growth if supported through innovation, infrastructure and inclusive markets.”
Mr Mahlangu said the project has strong potential to support Government’s inclusive development thrust by creating opportunities for women and young people while strengthening food systems.
“In our engagement with the President, I emphasised that this initiative has the potential to contribute significantly towards poverty reduction, women empowerment, food sovereignty, youth employment and rural industrialisation
in line with Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 1 and 2 frameworks,” said Mr Mahlangu.
The project also embraces value addition through locally produced chilli products, including the Ndiya Ndiya chilli sauce, which Mr Mahlangu described as a symbol of indigenous innovation and community-led enterprise development. “Every bottle produced under this initiative can be traced back to individual farmers through our geolocking and traceability systems. This ensures transparency, strengthens market confidence and gives recognition to the rural women who are driving this transformation,” he said.
Mr Mahlangu said the initiative was helping create a new generation of rural entrepreneurs while repositioning indigenous African foods as catalysts for economic transformation.
“Beyond income generation, this project is nurturing entrepreneurs in rural communities and repositioning indigenous African foods and crops as drivers of economic transformation,” he said.
“This is an African Food Revolution rooted in dignity, culture, innovation and community ownership.”
Mr Mahlangu said community-led agro-ecological models were increasingly attracting national interest because of their ability to combine food production, climate resilience, heritage preservation and industrialisation.
“Through indigenous knowledge systems, agroecology, value addition and market integration, the project is creating sustainable livelihoods for rural women while building a new African food economy from the ground up,” he said.
