Momentum of SEZs is increasing, says Minister

Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu

THE Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, has said that the momentum of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) is increasing across the country, as they are critical drivers of industrialisation and economic development.

A SEZ is a geographically demarcated and secured area within which multi-sectoral business investments are conducted under a liberal legislative framework, enjoying certain fiscal and non-fiscal incentives. The Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (Zida) is mandated to establish and regulate SEZs in Zimbabwe.

The development comes at a time when a push to reconfigure the local mining sector into a value-driven industrial base has also gathered momentum, after Cabinet recently approved a minerals value chain framework designed to anchor new SEZs across the country.

In a recent interview, the Minister reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to driving industrialisation and economic development through SEZs.

“I must say the momentum is increasing, and at this point we have several SEZs that are coming through. For those who follow post-Cabinet briefings, we recently approved the mineral extraction, beneficiation, value addition, manufacturing and industrialisation plans by the Government.

“We have designated specific mineral value chains in all provinces, and in those areas that have been designated SEZs, but we are also having new areas designated,” he said.

Speaking about the tourism SEZ in Victoria Falls, he said this was focusing on international tourism, finance and investment, anchored by the 300-hectare Masuwe SEZ project.

Minister Ndlovu said this initiative aims to transform the city into a global tourism hub, featuring hotels, medical tourism and a golf estate.

“This is not a recent designation; it was designated years ago. We now have a partnership where there is a company that will do the bulk infrastructure in Masuwe, but already there are companies that are lining up because there is bulk infrastructure,” he added.

“Normally, that is what slows down progress in a new development area: companies want to go to areas where there is already water infrastructure, electricity and road networks, among other things. So, once this is done, we will have more companies going in, because what they want is to set up their businesses.”

He said the Government was structured around economic clusters or sectors. While they had clusters such as the economic cluster and the social services cluster, even within those there were some Cabinet committees that would be looking at specific related areas.

The Minister said that was where they strengthened their synergies, and it was platforms like the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) where they then received feedback from investors and the public on where they were experiencing gaps and challenges in Government services.

“We have certainly now adopted an approach where we consolidate those issues and present them to Cabinet to say these are the issues that have come through, and Cabinet will have to pronounce on that, so that the ZITF becomes a focal platform for the private sector’s voice to have direct access to Government,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cabinet’s adoption of a robust framework aimed at transitioning Zimbabwe from a primary resource extraction and exportation entity to a globally competitive minerals-based industrial manufacturing hub has been viewed as a critical development.

The framework seeks to protect the national interest by closing the leakages that have perennially prejudiced the country of huge earnings from its vast mineral wealth.

At the core of the strategy is the integrated special economic zones pillar, which will channel both new and existing investments into specialised mineral clusters, such as battery minerals in the north and metallurgical operations in the Midlands.

The authorities believe this targeted approach will allow firms to share infrastructure, reduce production costs and scale operations more efficiently.

Experts have said the model reflects a shift from fragmented mining operations to co-ordinated industrial ecosystems — a move that could significantly alter Zimbabwe’s economic structure over time.