THE Government is on the verge of completing provincial developmental strategies enshrined in the Zimbabwe National Development Policy (ZNIDP) 2019-2023 as it forges ahead to grow the country\u2019s manufacturing sector.<\/p>\n
In an interview on the sidelines of the Employer\u2019s Confederation of Zimbabwe 37th annual congress and general meeting held in Bulawayo last week, Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu said the Ministry had stepped up efforts of ensuring the ZNIDP attains its objectives, which include facilitating sustainable growth of industry, development of new industries and the transformation and diversification of the local industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are almost completing the provincial developmental strategies that are derived from the ZNIDP. So each province will be implementing the policy and at best we will try to have quarterly assessments published so that people will be able to see whether we are making good progress and also for us to closely monitor our progress,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The ZNIDP was launched in July and seeks to turn the manufacturing sector into a technologically advanced, competitive and diversified industry by 2030.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m quite excited that it was a widely consulted document respective of aspirations of all people who are critical in the implementation of the policy. The fact that we have a policy that has been cascaded to provinces its quite telling and we hope that this will create greater national buy-in because it is an industrial policy that is also reflective of provincial capacities, resources and aspirations. I\u2019m quite optimistic that we will certainly reach our target,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries vice president Mr Joseph Gunda hailed the new industrial policy but hinted that there was a need for wider consultations before its enactment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a sound policy if implemented. We have looked at its pillars and we have discussed with our members but we feel there was a need for full consultation before it was made to be a policy because I have noticed that a lot of members are not fully aware of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are two key issues, which need to be addressed, the ease of doing business and policy consistency. Everything falls into place once those two are addressed objectively and genuinely,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Gunda said the ZNIDP whose thrust was to promote Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-led industrialisation was of paramount importance taking into consideration the fact that most manufacturing firms in the country are using archaic machinery and equipment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe policy itself, its objectives and pillars are in good order because we are moving towards the fourth industrial revolution and we think those (policy) pillars direct us towards that, so that we are not lagging behind because our equipment is old.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to move faster and ICT comes handy as we will be able to employ new technologies in managing our factories,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Government is on the verge of completing provincial developmental strategies enshrined in the Zimbabwe National Development Policy (ZNIDP) 2019-2023 as it forges ahead to grow the country\u2019s manufacturing sector. In an interview on the sidelines of the Employer\u2019s Confederation of Zimbabwe 37th annual congress and general meeting held in Bulawayo last week, Industry and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":14214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[800,888],"class_list":{"0":"post-14212","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-policy","9":"tag-government-of-zimbabwe","10":"tag-znidp"},"yoast_head":"\n