Vusumuzi Dube
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
VICE President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said the country has made great strides in the growth and development of the economy as it is drawing closer to the attainment of Vision 2030 targets, with the mining sector one of the contributing factors.
Speaking at the 26th edition of the mining, engineering and transport expo (Mine Entra) 2023 Conference and Official Opening at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre (ZIEC) on Thursday, the VP said the country was well on course of achieving the projections of Vision 2030.
“In the mining industry, we are seeing great acceleration in the development of this industry, far much and faster than we had anticipated before. These events show that the mining sector is continuing to grow and is expected to play a major role in catalysing Zimbabwe to achieve Vision 2030.
“As spelt out in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) the Second Republic is projecting to transform the economy to an upper middle-income economy by 2030 with a per capita income of more than US$3 500,” he said.
“Vision 2030 is within reach and we will achieve it together as we say a country is built by its own people, Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo.”
He said the exhibition was a notable event in the annual mining calendar and this year’s conference runs under the theme: “Accelerating Economic Transformation Through Mineral Beneficiation” comes after a successive official commissioning of key mining projects by the President.
VP Chiwenga said these include the Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe in Goromonzi, Mashonaland East Province, Sabi Lithium in Buhera North, Manicaland Province and the Muchesu Coal Mine in Binga, Matabeleland North.
He said he was convinced that the country was on course to achieve the Vision 2030 projections as exhibited by the increase in mining production and Government efforts to promote benefaction and value addition.
“As you are all aware Zimbabwe is richly endowed with God-given mineral resources which are an envy to many. With the visionary leadership of our President, there is therefore no reason for our country not to transform itself into a middle-income economy.
“I therefore call upon all players in the mining sector to support such great leadership by thinking big, investing in sustainable growth and becoming part of the positive transformation of our great country, Zimbabwe. Our President is an acute leader whose policy initiatives have boosted investor appetite in the mining sector leading to significant developments,” he added.
At the same event, the Minister of Mines and Mining Development Soda Zhemu said the main minerals that are going to lead the growth of the mining sector include gold, platinum group metals (PGMs), ferrochrome, steel, nickel, diamonds, lithium, coal and hydrocarbons among others.
He said the mining industry was still on track to earn US$12 billion in revenue by 2023, considerably advancing the country’s goal of having a prosperous upper middle-income economy in Zimbabwe by 2030.
“The mining industry continues to witness significant growth grew due to major investments in areas of exploration, value addition and beneficiation, the opening of new mines, the resuscitation of closed mines, and the expansion of existing mines across the various mineral subsectors,” he said.
“In an effort to develop the mining sector, the Ministry will set up mineral specific committees for all the country’s major minerals. These committees will assess the status of each subsector, come up with recommendations, strategies and interventions required for the development of the respective subsectors. An Upper-Middle Income Economy by the year 2030 will be achieved.”
In the welcome remarks read on behalf of the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo Metropolitan Judith Ncube by the Permanent Secretary Mr Paul Nyoni, she said the theme of Mine Entra this year resonates very well with Government development trajectory for the mining sector.
She said there were a number of mines and minerals companies in Province producing mostly gold, while hosting the Zimbabwe School of Mines, a centre of excellence in the Southern region among others.
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