Online Reporter
Business Reporter
THE inaugural Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Expo 2026 will now be held in Harare after being rescheduled from its originally planned venue at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds in Bulawayo.
The Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) will host the Indaba organised by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in partnership with Africa Economic Development Strategies (AEDS).
Dr Richard Kamidza, director for industrialisation, trade and investment at the AEDS, described the ZICE 2026 as a turning point for Zimbabwe’s economy.
Unlike traditional, talk-heavy corporate events, the upcoming summit and expo were carefully planned to deliver tangible and measurable results.
“ZICE 2026 is more than a conference — it is a national industrial transformation platform,” said Dr Kamidza. “Its uniqueness lies in its deliberate transition from dialogue to implementation.”
The event has been designed to serve as a comprehensive national platform bringing together Government ministries, agencies, industry leaders, manufacturers and investors.
To ensure inclusive economic transformation, the summit will also bring together development partners, financial institutions, academia, researchers, youth, women entrepreneurs, SMEs and non-state actors to collectively shape the country’s industrial trajectory.
Dr Kamidza said the summit has been structured around an action-oriented framework to drive measurable development through key mandates.
He said the conference will adopt a strict value-chain focus, enabling stakeholders to identify industry-specific challenges, opportunities and policy interventions across strategic sectors.
By combining a high-level policy conference with a dynamic industrial expo, participants can engage in regulatory debates while simultaneously viewing live product showcases, investment opportunities and new technological capabilities.
Discussions and recommendations will be informed by empirical research, stakeholder consultations and verified market intelligence to ensure they remain practical and responsive to current industrial realities.
The platform will actively focus on project development, investment attraction and strategic financing partnerships necessary to scale up local business competitiveness.
ZICE 2026 will also champion local content development, import substitution and raw material beneficiation to maximise national economic benefits.
Emphasis will be placed on upgrading Zimbabwe’s productive capacity, quality standards and technology adoption to comply with regional and international market requirements.
Another core feature of the summit will be its focus on environmentally responsible development, including the integration of renewable energy, circular economy models, and climate-smart manufacturing.
To ensure results extend beyond the event, organisers are establishing strict resolution-tracking and evaluation mechanisms, while positioning the venue as a strategic networking hub to forge long-term corporate collaborations.
Dr Kamidza emphasised that ZICE 2026 is structurally engineered to go beyond traditional assemblies, directly contributing to the inclusive growth, job creation, and economic transformation required to achieve Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 industrialisation goals.
“The conference directly contributes to the achievement of Zimbabwe’s industrialisation objectives under Vision 2030 by promoting inclusive industrial growth, job creation, innovation, investment, export development and economic transformation,” said Dr Kamidza.
“It is therefore not merely an event — it is a national platform for industrial action, investment promotion, policy influence, innovation, and sustainable economic transformation.”
