Online Reporter
Sikhulekelani Moyo
Zimpapers Business Hub
BULAWAYO businessman and former Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce Matabeleland Chapter vice president Mr Louis Herbst has called for a mindset shift in industry, saying Zimbabwe’s competitiveness hinges on technology adoption and confidence in local talent, not just capital.
Responding to questions from Zimpapers Business Hub, Mr Herbst said technology adoption remains one of the defining challenges and opportunities for businesses in Bulawayo and Zimbabwe as a whole.
“The future competitiveness of our manufacturing sector will not be determined solely by access to capital, but increasingly by our willingness to embrace technology, automation, augmentation, artificial intelligence, digital systems and locally driven innovation,” said Mr Herbst.
He noted that the Government, under President Mnangagwa, has consistently encouraged the adoption of modern technologies across industry, agriculture, healthcare, education and public administration as part of the modernisation and industrialisation agenda.
He, however, said policy alone is not enough saying that the real transformation must occur within boardrooms, factory floors, small businesses and among entrepreneurs who make daily decisions about investing in productivity, efficiency and innovation.
Mr Herbst also said Zimbabwe’s greatest resource is its people.
“We have exceptionally talented engineers, software developers, scientists, technicians and innovators capable of developing world-class solutions. Too often, however, local innovation is overlooked in favour of imported technologies,” he said.
He pointed out the irony that many of the very technologies we later purchase from international companies have been designed or developed by Zimbabweans and other Africans who left in search of opportunities that were unavailable at home.
“If we continue exporting our talent while importing the products of that talent, we are financing innovation elsewhere instead of building our own knowledge economy,” said Mr Herbst.
“We must deliberately cultivate confidence in local innovators, providing them with opportunities to solve Zimbabwean problems with Zimbabwean solutions that can ultimately compete on the global stage.”
He cautioned against crisis-driven spending, adding that businesses frequently invest in technology only after experiencing a crisis, a cyberattack, equipment failure, theft, declining productivity or lost market share.
“Preventative investment in technology should not be viewed as an expense but as strategic insurance and a catalyst for growth,” said Mr Herbst adding that global trade now demands more.
“Technology is no longer a competitive advantage alone; it has become a prerequisite for participating in regional and international value chains. Those who fail to modernise risk being left behind.
“Perhaps the greatest transformation required is not technological but psychological. We must move from asking, ‘Who oversees can solve this?’ to asking, ‘Who here can build it?” he said, adding that Zimbabwe’s resilience shows the foundation for renewed confidence.
He further said Zimbabwe’s future will not be secured by consuming technology alone, but will be secured by creating it, commercialising it, exporting it and building industries around it.
“If we invest in our own innovators, embrace digital transformation and adopt a culture of continuous improvement, Bulawayo can once again become an industrial powerhouse — not simply because we manufacture products, but because we manufacture ideas,” said Mt Herbst.
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution presents Zimbabwe with a rare opportunity. We can either remain consumers of global innovation, or become contributors to it.
“The choice we make today will determine the economy we leave for the next generation. We must now brand ‘Powered by Zimbabwe”.
