Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantino Chiwenga has mplored industry to increase local production in sectors with weaker value chains.
The Vice president who was represente by the Minister of Industry and Commerce Dr Sekai Nzenza at the Buy Zimbabwe 12th annual awards last night said manufacturers should increase production in sectors that include clothing and textile, leather value chain and the cosmetics sector.
“Government is strengthening the alignment of public procurement services to encourage the sourcing and localization of products. I exhort Buy Zimbabwe to consolidate the gains within the food value chain and services to aggressively market the proudly made in Zimbabwe initiative.
“ Let us increase local production in sectors such as the clothing and textile, high end cosmetics as well as the leather value chain. I would want to urge you to explore these and other sectors as we run with His Excellency the President’s mantra , ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’.
“ The robust implementation of local content strategy has focused on promoting the national industrialization strategy and rural industrialization through value chains drive and has also resulted in the country being able to produce high quality goods for its nationals.
“I therefore urge both our retailers and industrialists to embrace the good ethical business practice that ensures the customers benefit from easy access to local products . In this regard the localization of raw materials and up scaling of local production of goods that are currently being imported will be paramount”, he said.
Vice President Dr Chiwenga commended Buy Zimbabwe for organizing the awards noting that Zimbabwe has increased industrial capacity utilization to above 66% and the percentage of goods in supermarkets shelves to 80% through the Buy Zimbabwe initiative.
“I wish to commend the Buy Zimbabwe team for organizing this valuable platform which brings together manufacturers, service providers , buyers, distributors , financial institutions investors and other regulatory agencies.
“ As Government we are very excited that under the leadership of His Excellency Dr. E.D Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe has increased industrial capacity utilization to above 66% and the percentage of goods in supermarkets shelves to 80%. This is indeed testimony to the transformative policies that Government has put in place which is very much in line with the mantra ‘Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo’.
“ The 12th Buy Zimbabwe Annual awards is testament to the commitment by Buy Zimbabwe to their mandate of promoting production and preference to consume local goods and services as the second republic continues to pursue the National Development Strategy 1(NDS1) and vision 2030) of transforming Zimbabwe into an Upper Middle Income status.
“The success of the Buy Zimbabwe Campaign has indeed positioned the nation’s pride on self-reliance at a time global supply chains remain very much constrained by the triple challenges of climate change, geo political tensions and the Covid 19 pandemic”, he added.
Meanwhile the Chairperson of the local content steering committee Sifelani Jabangwe thanked the government for its unwavering support to the Buy Zimbabwe initiative saying that the local content steering committee will continue promoting increased manufacturing and use of locally made products .
“Over the years since the inception of the Buy Zimbabwe Movement, we have experienced redefinition of ourselves and the role of our industries in promoting industrialization and development. We have become more acutely aware the responsibility of developing ourselves rests on our shoulders as Zimbabweans.
“Let me at this juncture thank the government for their vision and support to local industries. Vision 2030 and the NDS1 lays clear the role of local production in achieving our aspirations of an upper middle income economy by 2030. Government has followed this up with an enabling policy framework that seeks to deepen our local value chains.
“As the local content steering committee we will remain committed to increasing local content. We appreciate the Buy Zimbabwe awards which honour and promote outstanding companies that promote the production and consumption of local products,” he said.
This year’s Buy Zimbabwe Awards were graced by the Minister of Lands, Agricultre, Fisheries , Water and Rural Resettlement Dr Anxious Masuka, Buy Zimbabwe Board Members, senior government officials and captains of industry.
