Sikhulekelani Moyo [email protected]
ZIMBABWE’S leather sector expects expanded regional trade following Zimbabwe’s assumption of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) chairmanship, with a focus on closing value chain gaps and retooling.
Responding to questions from Zimpapers Business Hub, Bulawayo Leather Cluster secretary Mr Fungai Zvinondiramba said the sector is interrogating its competitiveness from farm to manufacturer.
“The Zimbabwe leather sector is preparing to handle huge quantities. The sector is looking at competitiveness in terms of quality of inputs from the farm to the manufacturer by assessing and closing gaps in both the value chain and the supply chain,” said Mr Zvinondiramba.
“We’re also looking at technology and retooling and reconfiguring our financing models.”
COMESA has played a critical role in supporting the recovery and development of Zimbabwe’s leather sector through interventions aimed at strengthening value addition, improving market access and enhancing the competitiveness of local leather products.
These interventions come as Zimbabwe continues to revive its leather industry and maximise value from locally available livestock resources, while also creating employment and expanding opportunities for businesses across the leather value chain.
Mr Zvinondiramba said the interventions are being done in accordance with the Zimbabwe Leather Sector Strategy and in collaboration with regional stakeholders like the Africa Leather and
Leather Products Institute (ALLPI), which is an agency of COMESA responsible for leather regionally.
He said Zimbabwe has been a major beneficiary of COMESA-facilitated development.
“Zimbabwe has been a beneficiary of COMESA-facilitated development in the form of equipment which was set up in both Harare and Bulawayo giving birth to the Harare and Bulawayo leather clusters.
“This was followed up by the satellite design studio whose main purpose is to promote design thinking amongst the clusters which benefited from the first batch of support to improve both
quantity and quality in readiness for the opening markets,” he said.
Mr Zvinondiramba said while the leather sector has benefitted from the ease of doing business reforms just like other value chains, some bottlenecks remain.
“There are still some outstanding issues like exotic licences,” he said.
On Zimbabwe’s COMESA chairmanship, Mr Zvinondiramba said the opportunity will be used to promote regional integration rather than competition.
“Our assumption of the COMESA chairmanship is for the whole region and the thrust will be to promote regional trade,” said Mr Zvinondiramba.
He said the emphasis will not be on competition but strengthening collaboration riding on the different skills and capacities across COMESA.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Leather Development Council chairperson Mr Clement Shoko said the sector is taking a cue from President Mnangagwa’s value addition thrust.
“The message from our President was that the emphasis now is on value addition. We hope to ride on the same and add value to our hides and skins,” said Mr Shoko.
Zimbabwe has one of the largest livestock herds in Africa, but the leather sector has for years been hamstrung by low collection rates, poor quality hides due to poor animal husbandry and branding as well as lack of modern equipment.
The operationalisation of leather clusters in Harare and Bulawayo under COMESA support is expected to improve beneficiation and position Zimbabwe to tap into the US$8 billion COMESA leather market.
