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Oliver Kazunga Business Reporter
THE Indo-Zimbabwe technology centres have contributed significantly to the growth and development of the Small and Medium Enterprises, making the country substitute some of the imported goods, a Cabinet Minister said yesterday. In 2009, Zimbabwe and India launched a $5 million Indo-Zim technology project for the development of SMEs in the country through the commissioning of state-of-the-art manufacturing technology centres in Harare and Bulawayo.
Fourteen other centres have been established in different parts of the country including the Small Enterprises Development Corporation centre in Chitungwiza.
In an interview, Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni said as a result of the project, the quality of products manufactured by SMEs had significantly improved.
“The local SMEs sector has immensely benefited from the Indo-Zim technology project.
“For example, the quality of their products such as furniture, grinding mills is well ahead than before; and at HIT (Harare Institute of Technology) some of the big companies in the engineering sector are going for spare parts.
“Another instance is that of SMEs in Chitungwiza and Gokwe who are now able to manufacture highly competitive grinding mills and ox-drawn ploughs resulting in us being able to make imports substitution on such equipment,” she said.
Minister Nyoni said in the past lack of access to technology was one of the major challenges that saw SMEs producing low quality products.
The Government was making strides to ensure that SMEs adopt the latest technologies in the country through different project initiatives.
“Students and educators from different institutions such as vocational training institutions specialising in tool design and computer-aided design and manufacturing and quality control have also been benefiting a lot from the Indo-Zim technology project,” said Minister Nyoni.
She said the SME sector continues to play a critical role in economic development through job creation.
She said according to a recent report by the World Bank, 5.7 million people in the country were employed in the SME sector.
The World Bank also states that SMEs in Zimbabwe have the potential to contribute $7 billion a year to the Gross Domestic Product.
Online Reporter