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Mukudzei Chingwere Herald Reporter
The SADC Industrialisation Week provided learning opportunities in terms of best practices within the region.
This was key as Zimbabwe and other SADC countries are keen to achieve greater incomes from all sectors through value addition and beneficiation as a way of creating jobs.
Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Mr Willard Manungo said this in an interview with The Herald.
Mr Manungo unpacked the benefits that Zimbabwe is likely to accrue from the just-ended event which was a precursor of the SADC Heads of States Summit to be held later this month.
The SADC Industrialisation Week is the largest public-private platform and consultative body for regional industrialisation.
It seeks to unlock opportunities for sustainable economic growth and development towards an industrialised SADC.
This year’s event drew private and public sector organisations from across the region.
The week was capped with visits to selected companies in the country.
“The SADC Industrialisation Week that Zimbabwe hosted is of tremendous importance not just for Zimbabwe but for the entire SADC region,” said Mr Manungo.
“The thrust of the Industrialisation Week is consistent with our value addition strategy as outlined in our National Development Strategy 1.
“It dovetails with our interventions to try and ensure that we value add and beneficiate across various sectors to ensure that we don’t export jobs.
“What is also important is the role of our SMEs. There are a number of sectors where we feel that being small offers flexibility and adaptability to low-cost technologies.”
Speaking on health, Mr Manungo said the thrust is to link our traditional medicine with the pharmaceutical industry.
“We feel that there are a lot of opportunities in what our ancestors used to do, we need to perfect that.
“On the mining side, we have a lot of raw resources that need value addition.
“The industrial visits conducted on Friday included the Dinson steel works at Manhize, a key intervention that will assist us put Zimbabwe on the map regionally, continentally and globally in terms of value addition.
“There are a lot of opportunities in terms of learning from best practices within the region.
“The tourism sector will also benefit as this is also another opportunity to showcase what the sector has to offer,” said Mr Manungo.
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