Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Bhebhe, Senior Business Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S first Satellite Leather Design Studio to be housed in Bulawayo is expected to be operational by May as substantial funding has been sourced to kickstart the project.
It is envisaged that the leather studio would widen opportunities especially for micro-small to medium enterprises (MSMEs) leather operators who will be incorporated into the programme.
Leather Institute of Zimbabwe (LIZ) president, Mr Cornelio Sunduza, revealed this in an interview in Bulawayo on Friday. He said the setting up of the studio is part of concerted efforts to revive the leather sector in the country.
“What we have done in partnership with the Government, private sector and Comesa is to first identify the entry point for the revival of the sector,” said Mr Sunduza.
“That entry point is designing. The design studio is earmarked to improve competitiveness of the SMEs and be able to produce customised local manufactured brands that will penetrate the market.”
Across the globe, leather design studios are critical in driving focus to the upper value chain and enhancing higher downstream impact to all stakeholders in the leather sector.
The proposed establishment of a Satellite Design Studio is, thus, expected to be a game-changer in the country’s leather sector value-chain as it would help unlock more opportunities for small to medium enterprise clusters and co-operatives, said Mr Sunduza.
The idea for the Satellite Design Studio was mooted sometime in 2015 and Zimbabwe is working closely with the Common Market for Southern Africa (Comesa), to establish the first modern Satellite Leather Design Studio.
Zimbabwe used to be among the top leather producers in the region but over the years, due to a myriad of operational challenges, output has remained subdued.
Estimates indicate that leather shoe production has plummeted to 1,5 million pairs annually from a peak of 17 million in the 1990s after some of the established manufacturing factories closed shop in recent years.
Mr Sunduza said people to be trained will form part of key resource personnel who are armed with skills to utilise in the market.
“We are buying software and equipment for the studio, which would be a world-class facility to ensure that a student produced at the leather institute can work anywhere in the world,” he said.
“We have already received funding to the tune of 150 000 Euros and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already signed the agreements. We have started the procurement process of the equipment. We hope that by May, the equipment would be available.”
Mr Sunduza said the funds will cover at least 13 components that include procurement and skills survey, which will enable to determine skills required in the country in comparison with what is available.
A curriculum that would be informed by the skills survey will be developed to guide the training process, he added.
It is hoped that the design studio would help drive focus to the upper value chain stratum and enhance higher downstream impact to all stakeholders in the wider leather industry.
The emphasis of the design studio was conception of designs, enhancing creative and technical designing that will ensure originality of locally-produced branded products that are market-informed and capable of competing globally.
The leather industry occupies a place of prominence in the Zimbabwean economy in view of its potential for higher employment, growth and value-added exports.
Under Vision 2030, Zimbabwe is set to attain an upper middle-income economy and the leather sector is among the key sectors earmarked for transformation to drive the country towards the targeted status.
Sidumisile Mabena