Online Reporter
Dr Michael Musanzikwa
As the environment becomes more competitive, driven by technological advancement and innovation, the supply chain can no longer operate as a back-office task; it must be central to business and economic growth.
For more than three decades in Zimbabwe, procurement, warehousing, transport and logistics were regarded as supporting activities for finance, administration, engineering and marketing. Yet, between 65 percent and 70 percent of company budgets are spent by the supply chain management (SCM) function on procurement.
The Zimbabwe Institute of Procurement and Supply (ZIPS) helped change this, championing recognition of supply chain management as a key business enabler. In turn, organisations began to appreciate the importance of efficiency and effectiveness in day-to-day business operations and in providing value-added products.
In 2005, this recognition led to the introduction of the Supply Chain Management degree at Chinhoyi University of Technology, a qualification now available at 10 institutions in Zimbabwe, both as a degree by universities and as a diploma through polytechnics.
Strategic importance
SCM’s importance has been entrenched through climate change, resulting in natural disasters and pandemics such as Covid-19, geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the current war in the Middle East.
Stakeholders across the private and public sectors needed to reassess their dependence on imported resources such as fuel, power, pharmaceuticals, cereals and agricultural inputs, all of which have been significantly affected.
As a result, organisations such as the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, Buy Zimbabwe, the National Economic Consultative Forum and research group Africa Economic Development Strategies met and held consultative meetings to map a way forward.
They agreed that the only way to survive is to catalyse local industrialisation and beneficiation anchored on an efficient and effective SCM system.
Policy and Vision 2030
This is in keeping with the government’s Vision 2030 blueprint, which aims to transform the nation into an industrialised, knowledge-based upper-middle-income economy, with supply chain as the underlying economic enabler.
Outcomes from the consultative meetings include a call on the government to maintain stable and business-friendly economic policies to attract both local and foreign investment into local production.
Financial institutions were urged to offer more flexible and attractive lending conditions to help local investors access funding for business growth. Tertiary institutions have been called upon to focus on innovation and develop practical solutions to economic challenges, while strengthening partnerships between industry and academia.
Government was additionally urged to improve the Ease of Doing Business initiative to better meet the needs and realities of the business community.
Procurement and Infrastructure
Government is already enhancing its procurement platform for public entities, which was brought into effect in 2017 and is administered by the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.
Having been digitised in 2023, the state is now considering adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the procurement process beyond the current transparent and efficient electronic procurement system.
In transport and logistics, vital in a rural-based agricultural economy, the government has embarked on infrastructure development projects to facilitate the movement of goods, services and people through supply chain corridors across air, road and rail.
Cargo facilities at Charles Prince Airport in Harare and 55,82km of railway track on major corridors, including Mutare-Harare-Bulawayo, Bulawayo-Victoria Falls and Somabhula-Rutenga-Chicualacuala, are being upgraded and refurbished.
Government has reintroduced passenger train services on the Harare-Mutare and Bulawayo-Victoria Falls routes, strengthening regional transit logistics, with other lines to follow. This will aid the movement of bulk cargo, particularly from the mining and agriculture sectors, through a reliable rail supply chain.
In addition, the government has embarked on an Emergency Rehabilitation Programme to rebuild roads and bridges damaged by the rains of the 2024/25 season.
The modernisation of additional border posts, following the upgrade of Beitbridge Border Post to world-class standards, will further enable trade through integrated value-added supply chains that drive investment, employment and shared economic prosperity.
Storage and the cost of doing business
Additional storage facilities have been constructed for NatPharm in Harare and Mutare to enhance the procurement, storage and distribution of pharmaceuticals. A further initiative is the development of AI-driven silos for the Grain Marketing Board in Kwekwe, Mutare and Macheke.
It has become easier to do business through the revision, as directed by President Mnangagwa, of regulations, taxes and exchange rate disparities that hindered business growth.
During the first quarter of 2026, his directives resulted in a 50 percent decrease in the cost of doing business in priority sectors such as transport, agriculture and mining.
This is not a once-off result, and continuous efforts are underway to further reduce the cost of doing business in the local economy.
Combined, all these measures speak to a country that has recognised that the key to business success and resultant economic growth is a thriving SCM system that can aid the government in meeting its Vision 2030 targets.
λ Dr Michael Musanzikwa is the African Supply Chain Confederation VP for Southern Africa.
