Zimbabwe is targeting a rise in the manufacturing sector’s growth rate from an average of 2.2 percent to over 5 percent annually by 2030, aiming to increase the sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from US$7 billion to US$12 billion by that year.
This goal will be achieved under the Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy 2.
Speaking during the Post-Cabinet Media Briefing, Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Zhemu Soda stated that the government also plans to increase manufacturing exports from an average of US$470 million to US$1 billion by 2030.
“The government aims to improve capacity utilization from an average of 51 percent to 60 percent by 2030, as well as to increase the Volume of Manufacturing Index (VMI) from 149.4 to an average of 180 by that time,” Dr. Soda added.
The government has developed the Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy 2 (ZNIDP2) for 2026-2030, which will guide Zimbabwe’s industrialisation agenda for the next five years, in tandem with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) for the same period.
The policy builds upon the foundations and progress achieved under the Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy 1 (ZNIDP 2019-2023) and the Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan (ZIRGP 2024-2025).
“The policy aims to promote sustainable and diversified industrial growth, enhance productivity, and drive structural transformation and competitiveness by accelerating investment in Zimbabwe’s industrial sector,” said Dr Soda.
Dr Zhemu indicated that the ZNIDP 2 is anchored on six strategic pillars, including: Deepening Industrialization and Value Chain Optimisation;
-Leveraging Competitive Advantages in Mining and Agriculture;
-Spatial Development Initiative nodes and Rural Industrialisation;
-Enhancing Industrial Competitiveness and Productivity through Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence Integration;
-Inclusive Industrialization and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Linkages; and
-Strengthening Local Content Development.
“The pillars entail, among other things, prioritizing intermediate goods production under the ‘manufacturing for manufacturing’ concept, leveraging the country’s natural endowments to promote beneficiation, and driving industrial modernisation through re-tooling, automation, concessional financing, and duty-free capital equipment imports.
“The policy will embed Artificial Intelligence in manufacturing and value chains, strengthen innovation ecosystems, link industry and academia, promote investment in STEM, and develop digital skills.
“Additionally, the pillars involve prioritising the expansion of Special Economic Zones alongside macroeconomic coordination, promoting the integration of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises with larger firms, and facilitating the graduation of small enterprises into larger entities.”
