Opinion / Columnist
Zimbabwe rural industrialisation is underway
2 hrs ago | Views
It is important that I begin by highlighting the changing face of rural industrialisation in Zimbabwe.
My kick-off point is the advent of the Land Reform Programme as of Year 2000.
With it came the geopolitical reposte and backlash from the then dominant economic powers of West.
It would lead to an economic malaise culminating in the 2008 financial catastrophe.
The rump of Rhodesia era industries lost their place in national economic activity.
Yet the people still had to survive under those odds.
Hence kicked in the subsistence anchored Small to Medium Enterprises.
The SME sector became a means of near subsistence socio-economic survival.
The advent of pro-business H.E. President EDM and his Second Republic has seen huge inflows of Foreign Direct Investment-FDI especially into our enticing and bountiful mining sector.
Gold, lithium and the Carbon Steel Ecosytem have enslaved world class capital as well as sizable domestic direct investment -DDI.
The FDI in mining is spawning a new demand for the enabling infrastructure of water, energy, logistics of railways, ports and road as well as telecommunications.
The ever-growing demand of these key enablers translate to more SME activity as an attendant feeder value chain factor.
These twin pillars of 'mineral' and 'enabler' industries are a herald expanding SME activity.
They have to adapt, adopt, and grow as part of the feeder 'value chain' to this gathering pace of national industrial development.
This trend spells the emergence of the classic SME model as a foundation upon which heavier industrial activity relies upon.
This is an aspect of natural interest to the audience. Zimbabwe is on the cusp of producing world class products destined for a demanding and discerning global market place.
The prospects before you are that tantalising!!!
Imagine the emergent lithium mining and processing sector then have it embrace the virgin high quality steel from Manhize DISCO Steel.
There is a synergy that will easily entice the global majors in New Electric Energy Vehicle-NEEV Mobility as it displaced Fossil Fuel Internal Combuston Engine Mobility.
It can't get even sweeter. How about railway lines, pylons for electricity transmission and containers for fuel distribution all made in Zimbabwe.
Throw in the aspect of SADC regional integration and the prospect of collective SADC approach to the AfCTA and its 1.4 billon youthful consumers!
The ingredients of sustained growth and shared prosperity are all in place for this well resourced SADC sub-region.
These growth prospects have a pleasing multiplier ratio to rural industrialization.
A sizable chunk of the widgets that end up in the assembly of the industrial products described above are actually the staple of SMEs.
Austria provides a case study as essentially a nation of SMEs that feeds its surrounding neighbour's of Germany, Italy France, Russia and Turkey.
The Austrian prosperity stems from its high quality and high precision products that fit into subsequent assembly lines.
Steel is to the development of nations what food is to the human body.
With Manhize as a supplier of affordable high quality ISO 600 standard 'virgin' steel, I envisage a pulsating auto vehicle industrial sector supplying top brand global vehicle manufacturers.
Solar water pumps and borehole drilling together with river damming and water pumps and pipelines are all addressing the drudgery of distant water harvesting. .
It also means local supply of water for any enterprising rural artisans.
Solar energy and its storage means an end to the tyranny of being connected to the national electricity grid. An enterprising rural folk can now produce quality products in the back yard workshop.
The deployment of Starlink and other competing 'low earth orbit' satellite telecommunications and internet is an information boom to rural folks. No more bandage to the telephone wire line and the radio base station.
Information is henceforth descending to your receiving gadget; just like solar sun rays and rain drops from the clouds.
News of the market prices will now be at ones gadget. Digital financial inclusion is assured. No need to waste time on a long bus trip to the local bank branch.
Efficient, real time information is in the day to day politico-social ecosystem of rural folk.
Goods may move independent of the rural producer just like Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Jake Ma's Alibaba have perfected.
There is no more that speaks of that compelling need for rural to urban migration.
New Electric Energy Vehicle-NEEV are doing away with that distance to the nearest local fuel pump.
One can charge the battery storage tri-cycle from the comfort of his rural home.
If power information and logistics are available here and everywhere, the place of domicile location ceases to matter that much.
One can still prosper in his rural homestead.
The SME gold industry is the nation's new baby of dynamic growth. Ìt has become the backbone of our ZiG national currency.
Sustaining this nation saving industry are nearly 2 million SME miners, modern day heroes of our economic turnaround. Their turnover has risen from 3 tons in 2016 to 25 tons in 2024.
Meanwhile, turbulent geopolitics keep an ever rising gold bullion price to the delight of RBZ Governor John Mushavanhu.
The distributed nature of our shallow gold mine shafts lends itself to a big opportunity at rural industrialization.
Servicing this industry does trigger even more push to rural industrialization.
President Emmerson Dumbudzo Mnangagwa's mantra Zimbabwe Is Open for Business was created just as much for rural folks.
Watch out Austria, an African nation is following your SME and Rural Industrialisation model!!!
My kick-off point is the advent of the Land Reform Programme as of Year 2000.
With it came the geopolitical reposte and backlash from the then dominant economic powers of West.
It would lead to an economic malaise culminating in the 2008 financial catastrophe.
The rump of Rhodesia era industries lost their place in national economic activity.
Yet the people still had to survive under those odds.
Hence kicked in the subsistence anchored Small to Medium Enterprises.
The SME sector became a means of near subsistence socio-economic survival.
The advent of pro-business H.E. President EDM and his Second Republic has seen huge inflows of Foreign Direct Investment-FDI especially into our enticing and bountiful mining sector.
Gold, lithium and the Carbon Steel Ecosytem have enslaved world class capital as well as sizable domestic direct investment -DDI.
The FDI in mining is spawning a new demand for the enabling infrastructure of water, energy, logistics of railways, ports and road as well as telecommunications.
The ever-growing demand of these key enablers translate to more SME activity as an attendant feeder value chain factor.
These twin pillars of 'mineral' and 'enabler' industries are a herald expanding SME activity.
They have to adapt, adopt, and grow as part of the feeder 'value chain' to this gathering pace of national industrial development.
This trend spells the emergence of the classic SME model as a foundation upon which heavier industrial activity relies upon.
This is an aspect of natural interest to the audience. Zimbabwe is on the cusp of producing world class products destined for a demanding and discerning global market place.
The prospects before you are that tantalising!!!
Imagine the emergent lithium mining and processing sector then have it embrace the virgin high quality steel from Manhize DISCO Steel.
There is a synergy that will easily entice the global majors in New Electric Energy Vehicle-NEEV Mobility as it displaced Fossil Fuel Internal Combuston Engine Mobility.
It can't get even sweeter. How about railway lines, pylons for electricity transmission and containers for fuel distribution all made in Zimbabwe.
Throw in the aspect of SADC regional integration and the prospect of collective SADC approach to the AfCTA and its 1.4 billon youthful consumers!
The ingredients of sustained growth and shared prosperity are all in place for this well resourced SADC sub-region.
These growth prospects have a pleasing multiplier ratio to rural industrialization.
Austria provides a case study as essentially a nation of SMEs that feeds its surrounding neighbour's of Germany, Italy France, Russia and Turkey.
The Austrian prosperity stems from its high quality and high precision products that fit into subsequent assembly lines.
Steel is to the development of nations what food is to the human body.
With Manhize as a supplier of affordable high quality ISO 600 standard 'virgin' steel, I envisage a pulsating auto vehicle industrial sector supplying top brand global vehicle manufacturers.
Solar water pumps and borehole drilling together with river damming and water pumps and pipelines are all addressing the drudgery of distant water harvesting. .
It also means local supply of water for any enterprising rural artisans.
Solar energy and its storage means an end to the tyranny of being connected to the national electricity grid. An enterprising rural folk can now produce quality products in the back yard workshop.
The deployment of Starlink and other competing 'low earth orbit' satellite telecommunications and internet is an information boom to rural folks. No more bandage to the telephone wire line and the radio base station.
Information is henceforth descending to your receiving gadget; just like solar sun rays and rain drops from the clouds.
News of the market prices will now be at ones gadget. Digital financial inclusion is assured. No need to waste time on a long bus trip to the local bank branch.
Efficient, real time information is in the day to day politico-social ecosystem of rural folk.
Goods may move independent of the rural producer just like Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Jake Ma's Alibaba have perfected.
There is no more that speaks of that compelling need for rural to urban migration.
New Electric Energy Vehicle-NEEV are doing away with that distance to the nearest local fuel pump.
One can charge the battery storage tri-cycle from the comfort of his rural home.
If power information and logistics are available here and everywhere, the place of domicile location ceases to matter that much.
One can still prosper in his rural homestead.
The SME gold industry is the nation's new baby of dynamic growth. Ìt has become the backbone of our ZiG national currency.
Sustaining this nation saving industry are nearly 2 million SME miners, modern day heroes of our economic turnaround. Their turnover has risen from 3 tons in 2016 to 25 tons in 2024.
Meanwhile, turbulent geopolitics keep an ever rising gold bullion price to the delight of RBZ Governor John Mushavanhu.
The distributed nature of our shallow gold mine shafts lends itself to a big opportunity at rural industrialization.
Servicing this industry does trigger even more push to rural industrialization.
President Emmerson Dumbudzo Mnangagwa's mantra Zimbabwe Is Open for Business was created just as much for rural folks.
Watch out Austria, an African nation is following your SME and Rural Industrialisation model!!!
Source - Chris Mutsvangwa
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