admin
AS a market leader with huge influence, The Manica Post last week on Friday organised and hosted the Manicaland Provincial Business Indaba which brought together captains of industry to exchange notes on the business opportunities that Manicaland has to offer.
Indeed, the highly subscribed event was the tonic needed to foster collaboration and innovation in business through collective action and strategic planning to harness Manicaland’s full potential.
As the indaba’s apt theme suggested, there is need for a proper roadmap to grow Manicaland’s economy.
Manicaland economy is grounded in sectors that drive the economy.
These include the agriculture, mining and other natural resources industries in the primary sector.
The secondary sector covers manufacturing, engineering and construction; while the tertiary sector for service industries include tourism.
There is also the quaternary sector for intellectual activities involving education and research, as well as the quinary sector reserved for high level decision makers in Government and industry.
Endowed with these, the province has to tap into such key economic enablers to harness their contribution to the growth of Manicaland’s economy and that of the country.
With investments in agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing, construction and real estate, the province’s economic development can greatly be enhanced.
More jobs for the local people and those from beyond will be created in the process.
For good measure, Manicaland is also home to qualified and competent human capital, the technocrats that are a critical component in growing the province’s economy.
Exploiting the opportunities abound in these sectors and other underrated revenue earners can trigger a boom in the province’s economic outlook.
This can provide the bedrock for the sustainable development of Manicaland’s economy.
While new investments must be encouraged and existing ones upheld, bureaucratic red tape must not get in the way of smooth operations as this can be frustrating and costly.
President Mnangagwa is on record saying the Second Republic is open for business and is, therefore, keen on promoting the ease of doing business.
As such, Manicaland should not be found wanting in this regard.
There are several initiatives and projects that the province can implement to spur its economic growth and social transformation.
It is for this reason that the construction of the gemology centre, the Christmas Pass by-pass Road and Mutare Dry Port as well as the modernisation of Forbes Border Post have to be expedited.
At its completion, the former is expected to drive the diamond cutting and polishing value chain in Manicaland and the country at large.
The Christmas Pass by-pass Road, which has become necessary owing to the regular occurrence of accidents at the Pass, is essential in serving as an alternative route in and out of Mutare.
A modernised Forbes Border Post and dry port can be game changers in improving the efficiency of clearing cargo as the province is the gateway to the Beira corridor.
Harnessing Manicaland Province’s business potential is firmly rooted in the national growth and transformation blueprint – the National Development Strategy (NDS1).
All this is pinned on fulfilling the national aspiration of Vision 2030 as the country moves towards achieving an empowered and prosperous upper-middle income society by the year 2030.
It is time to walk the talk and get the deliverables. Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza could not have put it more aptly when he delivered his keynote address during the Provincial Business Indaba when he said: “Team work and unity should be the hallmark of our success. As the people of Manicaland, we need to do things differently. We need to step up and adopt Information Communication Technology to boost efficiency in our operations, be it farming, tourism, mining, health and education. For long, we have been talking about the Special Economic Zones for Manicaland; it is time to walk the talk.”
Online Reporter