Online Reporter
Zvamaida Murwira
Senior Reporter
THE economy is poised for continued growth, buoyed by a resurgent agricultural sector, expanded investment and production in mining, and a robust manufacturing base, President Mnangagwa has said.
He made the remarks while delivering the State of the Nation Address (SONA) at a joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate at Parliament Building in Mt Hampden yesterday.
In the agriculture sector, the President noted that the country’s livestock herd continues to increase, accompanied by a marked improvement in milk production, while the area under irrigation has risen on the back of the implementation of the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy.
“The national economy is projected to grow by 6.6 percent in 2025, anchored on the recovery in the agricultural sector, with record harvests of tobacco, maize and wheat, among other crops. These are a result of the implementation of the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy. Under the Strategy, the Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme has empowered over 3 million households with inputs,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said the livestock sector continues to grow, with the national herd now at 5.7 million, while milk production has increased from 76.7 million litres in 2019 to 115 million litres in 2024.
“Through the Rural Development 8.0 initiative, boreholes that are being drilled and resuscitated by my Administration are ensuring access to water for production, village business units and domestic use. The area under irrigation has expanded from 151 000 hectares in 2019 to 221 000 hectares in 2024. We are well on course to reach our target of 496 000 hectares. These initiatives have gone a long way in our quest to build climate-resilience, mitigation and adaptation.”
President Mnangagwa said the modernisation of Grain Marketing Board silos around the country was ongoing, increasing storage capacity.
“Meanwhile, the modernisation of the Grain Marketing Board is ongoing in line with new technologies, with the construction of 14 new Artificial Intelligence-driven silo sites, resulting in an additional 750 000 tonnes of storage capacity,” he said.
“The accelerated issuance of bankable and registrable title deeds for A1 and A2 farmers, as well as Deeds of Grant for previously African Purchase Areas is set to have transformational impacts in our agricultural sector.”
Turning to mining, President Mnangagwa said the sector witnessed increased investments in gold, lithium, iron and steel production.
“The commissioning of new plants, independent power generating units and energy parks, among others, is ensuring that all sectors achieve targets with regard to value addition, beneficiation, job creation and growth of our Gross Domestic Product,” he said.
The President added that while investors are welcome to Zimbabwe, they should operate within the confines of the law and the cultural practices of the country.
“As we welcome investors into our jurisdiction, we expect them to adhere to the Constitution and laws of our country while also respecting our people, customs and culture.”
On the manufacturing front, President Mnangagwa said the sector registered 15,3 percent contribution to the Gross Domestic Product.
“The success is attributable to significant investments in the steel, cement, dairy, cotton-to-clothing and pharmaceutical value chains, among others,” he said.
The recent review of licences, permits, levies and fees, was meant to improve ease of doing business and competitiveness of the local industry.
President Mnangagwa said the tourism sector remained solid, with Zimbabwe recently being awarded the “Best Must Visit Destination” accolade by Forbes Magazine hence the need to expedite the Tourism Amendment Bill to support the growth trajectory.
On infrastructure development, President Mnangagwa said completion of the Harare-Chirundu Road, Christmas Pass by-pass, Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road, among others, will be prioritised.
“Notable progress has been registered in implementing the Zimbabwe Integrated Transport Information Management System Project, which includes automating services at the Vehicle Inspectorate Department, Central Vehicle Registry and Road Motor Transportation,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said the current implementation of the monetary and fiscal policy measures has resulted in the stability of the ZiG.
“Going into the future, the trend in macro-economic stability is expected to become the status quo in our country. The country’s foreign currency generation capacity continues to strengthen. Inflows stood at US$10.4 billion as of August 2025, an upward increase of 26.8 percent, from the US$8.3 billion recorded during the same period in 2024,” he said.
“Consequently, foreign currency reserves increased to about US$900 million as at the end of September 2025, up from US$700 million in June 2025. In recognition of this effort, the World Bank recently ranked Zimbabwe first among the top 10 countries in the world that have made significant progress in foreign currency reserve accumulation.”
The President said Government will extend social benefits to vulnerable groups under social protection programmes such as the Basic Education Assistance Module and input support schemes, among others.
The country’s health sector, he said, was undergoing a transformation, focusing on several factors such as human resources, financing and infrastructure modernisation.
Other areas that the President touched on included education, Information Communication and Technology and youth empowerment.
“The Zanu PF-led Government will also continue with harmonised Social-Cash-Transfers to increase the purchasing power of vulnerable groups. Regrettably, the scourge of drug and substance abuse remains a major concern to all communities in our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe. Comprehensive and all-encompassing strategies are being implemented by all stakeholders in our country to mitigate the negative impact of this menace,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said the Government has made strides in upgrading the media landscape through the modernisation of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s Montrose Studios in Bulawayo.
Additionally, the ZBC’s Luzibo Radio, which is a new education channel, was established in order to bring educational content directly to learners across the country.
“The enactment of the Broadcasting Services Amendment Act has introduced very progressive media reforms, which broadened the scope of the Act to encompass, among other issues, the emerging digital broadcasting services.”
He said all local authorities had developed master plans and all 92 Councils completed Valuation Rolls, with 91 of them having deployed Enterprise Resource Planning systems to modernise their operations as is envisaged by his Administration.
