Vusumuzi Dube
Judith Phiri , Business Reporter
BUSINESSES in Bulawayo have called for the establishment of more industrial parks that will go a long way to providing decent workplaces and drive economic growth.
An industrial park is a tract of land developed and sub-divided into plots according to a comprehensive plan with the provision of roads, transportation and public utilities, sometimes also with common facilities, for use by a group of manufacturers.
The Government has set up innovation hubs and industrial parks at tertiary institutions to propel Zimbabwe’s modernisation and industrialisation through the local production of goods and services.
Universities with innovation hubs and industrial parks so far are the National University of Science and Technology, Midlands State University, University of Zimbabwe, Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), Zimbabwe Defence University and the Chinhoyi University of Technology.
Speaking at a Private Sector Interface Breakfast Meeting in Bulawayo on Thursday, Bulawayo Chamber of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) vice-chairperson, Ms Sithabile Bhebhe said decent workplaces were critical to them.
“The SMEs sector is requesting that in all Central Government and local government planning there should be consideration for industrial land to construct SME industrial parks that will serve as decent workspaces for MSMEs,” she said.
Zimbabwe’s economy is dominated largely by MSMEs that contribute up to US$8,6 billion (60 percent) to gross domestic product (GDP).
Since 2021, approximately 3.4 million MSMEs have been in operation, while in employment terms, over 4.8 million persons comprising women (52.1 percent) and males (47.9 percent) were engaged on a full-time basis in the MSMEs sector.
“On our part, we continue to encourage our members to formalise their businesses so that they can contribute to the building of our nation towards Vision 2030 aspirations,” said Ms Bhebhe.
A representative of the proposed Bulawayo Industrial Park, Mr Darlington Nyika said the initiative would aid the much-needed economic growth to the City of Bulawayo and the surrounding area.
“The proposed industrial park will go a long way to bring life back to the city. There is a need to explore vertical and horizontal linkages that would leverage Special Economic Zones (SEZ). SEZ can create new opportunities for businesses and promote the growth of the local economy, while the industrial park would be beneficial to the attainment of Vision 2030, a plan to create economic growth and development throughout Zimbabwe,” he said.
He said devolution and industrialisation was critical to create a more decentralised economic structure and to encourage the growth of local industries, while capitalising on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and how it could benefit the local economy.
Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Sithembiso Nyoni said her Ministry was committed to strengthening linkages between SMEs and large corporations in manufacturing as well as those in the retail and wholesale sectors.
“Such linkages will help ensure that SMEs are nurtured and grow into large business corporations. The variety of SMEs development programmes being implemented by the Government have also led to the expansion of the retail and consumer trade. Tuck shops and street vendors also constitute part of the retail and wholesale sector, especially in high-density areas and the Central Business District (CBD),” she said.
“The business operating environment demands innovation which encompasses digitalisation as a way to stay in business. I would like to implore all companies to have e-commerce platforms for trading and ease of doing business.”
Online Reporter