‘Support local products this festive season’

Nokuthaba Brita Ncube, [email protected]

THE Ministry of Industry and Commerce has urged Zimbabweans to support local initiatives through the Buy Zimbabwe Campaign and Local Content Strategy during the festive season, promoting the procurement of locally produced goods to drive economic growth.

In his festive season message shared on the ministry’s official X account, Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, commended the business community for its contributions to Zimbabwe’s economic progress. He encouraged consumers to prioritise local products, emphasising their role in achieving the nation’s Vision 2030 of becoming an upper-middle-income economy.

“As you celebrate this festive season, please support local initiatives through the Buy Zimbabwe and Local Content Strategy,” said Minister Ndlovu.

The minister also called on business membership organisations, development partners, the private sector, and Government agencies to collectively support the inter-ministerial taskforce on business malpractice.

“I equally encourage your support for the inter-ministerial taskforce on business malpractice in combating counterfeiting and smuggling, which enables us to bring sanity to our business environment while enhancing consumer protection,” he said.

Minister Ndlovu highlighted the ministry’s commitment to collaboration with the private sector and announced the launch of the Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan (ZIRGP) 2024-2025, which serves as a transitional framework aligning industrial policy with the National Development Strategy 2 (2026-2030).

“The new year presents an opportunity to address challenges in industrial growth while optimising the strong macro-economic stability the sector has experienced to drive industrial growth going forward,” he said.

Since its inception, the Buy Zimbabwe Campaign has sought to correct market imbalances that favour foreign products over locally produced goods. The campaign has been central to the Government’s development agenda, promoting local procurement and consumption as a key driver of economic self-sufficiency.

The Local Content Strategy, another vital intervention, aims to manage Zimbabwe’s import bill by reducing dependency on foreign goods and conserving foreign currency for critical imports such as raw materials, fuel, medicines, and equipment. Key sectors identified under the strategy include pharmaceuticals, oil seeds, dairy, horticulture, clothing and textiles, leather and leather products, fertilisers and chemicals, soaps and detergents.

Minister Ndlovu reiterated that local initiatives are at the core of the National Development Strategy, urging stakeholders to actively engage in fostering industrial growth.