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MATANUSKA finance director and businessman, Mr Richard Chiwandire, was elected Manicaland chapter of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries president. Cairns Foods Mutare operations manager, Mr Joseph Mavhu and Manica Boards and Doors production executive, Mr Remington Mpande were also elected as co-vice-presidents during the provincial chapter’s Annual General Meeting held on April 15 in Mutare.
Mr Chiwandire takes over the reins from Wattle Company chief executive officer, Mr Frank Kufa.
In an interview with Post Business on Monday, Mr Chiwandire said he was aiming at pushing for value addition and beneficiation projects to create employment and replace capsizing industry in the province.
He said Manicaland was endowed with abundant raw materials, but little was being done to create downstream industry from its natural resources.
Mr Chiwandire said triggering into action the principles of the socio-economic blueprint Zimbabwe Agenda for Socio-Economic Transformation on value addition in the Small to Medium Enterprises sector was key to create employment opportunities for the thousands of graduates being churned out yearly by tertiary institutions.
“The local SME sector is growing and has become the new industry in the deficiency of liquidity to recapitalise the old and ailing large-scale industry.
“The focus should now be on increasing the productive capacity of the SMEs to create employment and formalise to contribute to the fiscus,” said Mr Chiwandire.
He said the formalisation process will, however, need support from all stakeholders including Government through the Ministry of Small to Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Mr Chiwandire said the death of Mutare’s Nyakamete Industrial Area could only be overturned through a strong Buy Zimbabwe campaign and special protectionist system for industry with growth potential.
He cited Cairns Foods Mutare as one industry that needed support in the Buy Zimbabwe drive.
“Industry does not exist in isolation, but needs policy frameworks in place to assure smooth flow. As a provincial chamber, we will definitely re-strategise our plans and work closely with Government to make Zim-Asset a success.
“Apart from SME capacity building initiatives, we will definitely push for the support and semi- protection of the few remaining industry in the province so that they increase production and in turn boost SMEs downstream,” he said.
Mr Chiwandire also expressed confidence in the new Minister of State for Manicaland Affairs, Cde Mandi Chimene and applauded her vigour and drive to re-invigorate the manufacturing sector in the province since she took office.
He said such political will from Government was motivating to push for economic growth and the realization of ZimAsset.
On the national front, Mr Chiwandire said there was need for CZI and other business lobby groups to follow up on memorandums of agreement signed by Government. He said Zimbabwe should not continue to be turned into a ‘supermarket’ economy that imports finished goods, but manufacture basic goods for local consumption to create jobs.
Mr Chiwandire added that the setting up of the National Competitiveness Commission in place of the National Incomes and Pricing Commission should be hastened to help improve the business environment in the country. He, however, stressed on the production of quality goods to be competitive and urged Government to incentive SMEs to formalise by guaranteeing them tax breaks during their transitional phase.
CZI will be holding its national Annual General Meeting on May 28 where the election of the national president will be conducted.
Tanganda Tea Company finance director, Mr Henry Nemaire was the serving national vice-president.
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