Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe, [email protected]
INDUSTRIALISATION must be pursued without undermining the environmental foundations on which future generations depend, Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu has said.
Minister Ndlovu said Zimbabwe’s drive towards industrialisation must be anchored on sustainable production practices that promote economic growth while safeguarding natural resources for future generations.
He said this while addressing a public lecture at Bulawayo Polytechnic on the theme, “Harnessing Students’ Potential for Sustainable Industrialisation and Vision 2030.”
The Minister said that the country’s industrial transformation must involve increased resource efficiency, cleaner production methods, and responsible use of natural resources.
“Zimbabwe must industrialise without undermining the environmental foundations on which future generations depend. This means improving resource efficiency, adopting cleaner production, expanding renewable energy, developing circular solutions, promoting responsible mining and protecting water through better technologies.
“These responsibilities are also enterprise opportunities. A solution that reduces energy losses can lower production costs. A recycling business can turn waste into revenue.”
Minister Ndlovu said environmental sustainability should not be viewed as a constraint on industrial development, but rather as an emerging area for innovation, investment and entrepreneurship.
He said businesses that developed solutions to environmental challenges would be better positioned to respond to changing consumer preferences and market requirements.
“Sustainable packaging can meet changing market expectations. Water-saving technology can protect both production and communities. Students should therefore ask not only how industry can reduce its environmental impact, but also what products and services can make that improvement possible. Environmental responsibility is not a barrier to growth. It is a market for innovation.”
Minister Ndlovu said the industrialisation agenda also required Zimbabwe to prepare its workforce for rapid technological change, with new technologies increasingly transforming production processes and business models.
“Industry is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, automation, robotics, digital manufacturing, advanced materials, data analytics and renewable energy are reshaping production and competition. Technology creates possibilities, but technology does not create impact on its own. People must know how to apply it to real industrial and market problems.”
He said tertiary institutions had a critical role to play in ensuring that students were equipped with skills that could be translated into practical industrial solutions.
Rather than producing graduates who only possess theoretical knowledge, he said the education system should nurture people capable of identifying problems, developing solutions and taking those solutions to the market.
“That is why technical competence must be combined with digital literacy, creativity, adaptability, problem-solving, entrepreneurial thinking and the ability to work across disciplines. A technician may need to understand data. An engineer may need to understand markets. A designer may need to understand manufacturing. An entrepreneur may need to understand standards, finance and technology.”
The Minister said the changing nature of industry meant that qualifications could no longer be regarded as the end of the learning process.
“Certificates and diplomas are starting points. Lifelong learning, market awareness, business understanding and financial literacy turn skills into opportunity. The capability that will remain valuable in a changing economy is the ability to learn, adapt and apply knowledge to new challenges.”
Minister Ndlovu said institutions such as Bulawayo Polytechnic could play an important role in bridging the gap between education and industry by exposing students to real-world production challenges.
The public lecture provided a platform for policymakers and students to engage on the role of skills, innovation, entrepreneurship and technology in driving Zimbabwe’s industrialisation agenda towards Vision 2030.
