Online Reporter
Martin Kadzere
National Foods Ltd has delivered a major vote of confidence in Zimbabwe’s increasingly predictable economic environment after announcing multi-million-dollar investments earmarked for the near future.
The fresh capital deployment follows a highly successful US$22,5 million expansion into value-added portfolios that has already achieved near-maximum capacity utilisation in just over a year.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday following a media tour of the company’s extensive processing facilities in the Workington industrial area, chief executive Mr Mike Lashbrook revealed that the company’s aggressive capital expenditure was a direct response to a robust domestic economic trajectory, strengthening consumer purchasing power and predictable policy frameworks.
The tour served as a strategic curtain-raiser for the upcoming Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Expo (ZICE 2026), scheduled to take place in Harare from July 23–24.
The event is aimed at highlighting the private sector’s front-facing role in driving the country’s industrialisation and import-substitution agendas.
It is being organised by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in partnership with regional think tank Africa Economic Development Strategies (AEDS) and national trade promotion body ZimTrade.
The validation mirrors positive sentiment from Delta Corporation, the country’s largest beverage maker, which also credited prevailing macroeconomic policies with unlocking new avenues for investment and industrial expansion.
Taken together, these sentiments represent a significant vote of confidence from the heavyweights of Zimbabwe’s private sector.
Mr Lashbrook noted the massive capital outlays were a calculated vote of confidence in the underlying fundamentals of the economy, which continues to be anchored by strong performances in the mining and agricultural sectors as well as a stable local currency, Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG).
“We are very positive about what we see. The economy is in a robust state and we are experiencing strong growth that is directly feeding into consumer spending power,” Mr Lashbrook said.
“We don’t see that stopping. These are big, long-term investments for the future and we wouldn’t be committing this scale of capital if we didn’t have total confidence in local economic policies and the resilience of our consumers.”
