Online Reporter
Business Reporter
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) President Mucha Mkanganwi has called for a decisive national focus on developing industrial complexity, asserting that this is the most viable pathway for Zimbabwe to achieve its Vision 2030 goal of becoming an upper-middle-income economy.
Speaking at the Manufacturing Sector Review and launch of the CZI Annual Manufacturing Sector Survey 2025 breakfast meeting, Mr Mkanganwi outlined a strategic vision predicated on moving beyond basic assembly to sophisticated, high-value manufacturing .
“We have seen that countries that are upper middle income, there are only two types of countries. One, countries that have complexity in their manufacturing and their industries. And two, countries that produce oil and gas,” Mr Mkanganwi stated, noting that Zimbabwe’s nascent oil and gas sector makes industrial complexity the more immediate and practical route .
The CZI President emphasized that achieving such complexity requires a fundamental shift in national priorities and business conditions. He identified the protection of Intellectual Property (IP) and a focus on foundational manufacturing as essential prerequisites . “You will see that in our inputs, we push for things like IP. We talk about manufacturing for manufacturing, because we have seen that it is easy to manufacture end products,” he explained .
Mr Mkanganwi further highlighted that macroeconomic stability and an improved ease of doing business are non-negotiable for attracting the investment needed to foster complex industries. “Complexity cannot develop where there is no ease of doing business,” he asserted, adding that “lending will not happen if we do not have macroeconomic stability” . This call to action was set against the backdrop of the newly launched 2025 survey, which serves as a key tool for tracking the sector’s performance and identifying critical areas for policy intervention.
Despite recent government reforms that have contributed to a period of relative macroeconomic stability, challenges persist. The CZI noted that the manufacturing sector continues to face significant headwinds.
Mr Mkanganwi’s address concluded with a call for strengthened public-private partnerships to navigate the complexities of industrial transformation, praising the current government’s listening approach as a constructive platform for policy dialogue.
