CZI & the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Advance Inclusive Consultation on New Industrial Policy – The Zimbabwe Mail

The Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy (ZNIDP) 2 for the NDS2 period is a highly anticipated policy document for business in Zimbabwe. CZI participated in the development of the framework that is being used for consultations with various sectors of the private sector and stakeholders across the country.

CZI’s Chief Economist, Dr. Cornelius Dube, is leading the ZNIDP (2) Steering Committee in the development of this policy in response to the government’s call for private sector–led industrialisation and growth. We have utilised the wealth of evidence that we have collected from our members over the past few years and carried their industrial development aspirations into this process as it kicks off. Our first consultative workshops were in Bulawayo and Harare, hosting vibrant public-private dialogues on this policy development process.

As part of the consultation methodology, each session includes breakout discussions structured around the nine proposed policy pillars of the ZNIDP (2):

• Pillar 1: Deepening Industrialisation and Mending Broken Value Chains
• Pillar 2: Leveraging Comparative Advantages
• Pillar 3: Enhancing Industrial Competitiveness
• Pillar 4: Enhancing Industrial Productivity (including Fourth Industrial Revolution)
• Pillar 5: Rural Industrialisation
• Pillar 6: Inclusive Industrialisation and MSME Linkages
• Pillar 7: Sustainable Industrialisation
• Pillar 8: Funding for Industrialisation
• Pillar 9: Supporting Industrialisation through Facilitating Commerce

Key Issues Raised Include:

• Emphasis on reducing regulatory costs and burdens, which were identified as key competitiveness constraints.
• Calls to prioritise the revival of key value chains, especially cotton and leather.
• Need for stronger coordination and regulatory alignment among government ministries.
• Recommendation to strengthen collaboration between industry and academia, particularly in research and innovation.
• Importance of local authority involvement in reindustrialisation, including provision of space and infrastructure for SMEs through industrial parks.
• Recommendation for decentralised, accessible, and appropriately structured funding models, aligned with Zimbabwe’s fragmented economy.

Key Perspectives Shared in Harare: UNIDO Contribution

• The manufacturing sector plays an important role in economic growth & structural transformation, especially when countries are at a relatively low-income level. Actually, poverty levels are high where manufacturing is weak.
• The sustainability of the growth of an economy is closely associated with the size and growth of its manufacturing sector. This is stronger for low- and middle-income economies than in high-income economies. So for Zimbabwe, the period 2026–2030 is a very important window which should not be missed.
• There is evidence that the close association between manufacturing and economic growth is weakening mainly because of globalisation. Positive growth effects from manufacturing are accruing to economies with relatively high levels of human capital and tooling skills.
• Countries with large levels of natural resources but weaker institutions have lower than expected levels of manufacturing.
• Countries with high labour costs and poor governance have lower levels of manufacturing than expected.
• Employment response to manufacturing expansion has been weakening due to technological change.
• Successful industrialisers are generally characterised by higher access to credit, lower interest rates, and a competitive real exchange rate.
• No one-size-fits-all Industrial Policy!

These dialogues are being hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and are anchored in the shared goal of shaping a robust and inclusive policy framework that drives industrial transformation, productivity growth, and global competitiveness for Zimbabwean industry. The Confederation remains committed to ensuring that the policy reflects the real concerns, capabilities, and ambitions of the country’s productive sector.

A third session is planned for Manicaland. To participate, please contact membership@czi.co.zw.

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