Business / Local
Govt engages Comesa on Bulawayo industry resuscitation
08 Apr 2014 at 15:59hrs | Views
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) has recommended that Government should rejuvenates economic enablers such as electricity, water, infrastructure and coal if Bulawayo is going be revived as an industrial hub.
This follows a study that was carried out by Comesa late last year on Bulawayo's industrial sector, at the behest of the Government.
The recommendations by Comesa also included the revival of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (now NewZim Steel).
In an interview, Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha said the recommendations by Comesa were in line with what the Government was already doing towards reviving Bulawayo.
"Comesa did a study on the industries in Bulawayo and highlighted factors that aided in the de-industrialisation in Bulawayo," he said.
"They gave good recommendations during their study but the Government had already taken note of these factors in 2012 while working on a development policy. "The recommendations given by Comesa will aid in reinforcing policies already known. The study was good and confirmed what we already know," he said.
Minister Bimha said the Government was working to stabilising utilities such as water and electricity supply, coal supply and infrastructure.
He added that they were also resuscitating the NRZ as that will drastically reduce costs on transportation, as well as reviving Zisco because many companies in Bulawayo rely on supplies to and from them.
"We are working to rejuvenate enablers such as supplies of water, electricity, coal and addressing the infrastructure.
"The NRZ has been performing low and many companies have resorted to transporting their goods by road, which increases the cost of transportation.
The NRZ will allow us to transport our products more efficiently to our neighbours such as Botswana and South Africa.
We also need Zisco operational because companies in Bulawayo relied on supplies to and from Zisco," he said.
Minister Bimha said although other cities have been affected by various factors of de-industrialisation, the effects are greater in Bulawayo because it was the hub of industrial development in the country.
Other cities have been affected as well but because Bulawayo was the hub of industry in Zimbabwe, the effects are greater seen there."
This follows a study that was carried out by Comesa late last year on Bulawayo's industrial sector, at the behest of the Government.
The recommendations by Comesa also included the revival of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (now NewZim Steel).
In an interview, Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha said the recommendations by Comesa were in line with what the Government was already doing towards reviving Bulawayo.
"Comesa did a study on the industries in Bulawayo and highlighted factors that aided in the de-industrialisation in Bulawayo," he said.
"They gave good recommendations during their study but the Government had already taken note of these factors in 2012 while working on a development policy. "The recommendations given by Comesa will aid in reinforcing policies already known. The study was good and confirmed what we already know," he said.
Minister Bimha said the Government was working to stabilising utilities such as water and electricity supply, coal supply and infrastructure.
"We are working to rejuvenate enablers such as supplies of water, electricity, coal and addressing the infrastructure.
"The NRZ has been performing low and many companies have resorted to transporting their goods by road, which increases the cost of transportation.
The NRZ will allow us to transport our products more efficiently to our neighbours such as Botswana and South Africa.
We also need Zisco operational because companies in Bulawayo relied on supplies to and from Zisco," he said.
Minister Bimha said although other cities have been affected by various factors of de-industrialisation, the effects are greater in Bulawayo because it was the hub of industrial development in the country.
Other cities have been affected as well but because Bulawayo was the hub of industry in Zimbabwe, the effects are greater seen there."
Source - BH24
