BY SAMUEL NJINGA IN MASVINGO
The recently held Masvingo 3rd Edition Business Expo that brought together local and international investors to interface with local authorities, policymakers, investing facilitating agencies, captains of industry, thought leaders and innovators has been hailed as a utility platform that will go a long way in creating the much-needed networking opportunities for entrepreneurs in the province.
Minister of State and Devolution Affairs for Masvingo province, Ezra Chadzamira, who was the Guest of honor at this auspicious event held on the 22 and 23rd of August at Urban Lifestyle Hotel noted that the theme of the Expo: “Accelerating entrepreneurship through innovation,” fitted very well in the frames of the trajectory of attaining a highly prosperous and empowered Upper Middle-Income Society by 2030.
“His excellency, President E.D Mnangagwa has put in place the National Development Strategy 1 which seeks to promote accelerated, inclusive and sustainable economic growth as well as socio economic transformation and development for all. The theme for this year`s expo fits well in the frame of NDS1 as it seeks to enunciate the value of innovation and economic growth. By embracing innovation, the province and nation can unlock new avenues for growth, fostering job creation and propelling the economy towards prosperity and growth,” said Chadzamira.
During the Business Expo which was attended by more than 260 participants, the academia exhibited and showcased their innovations aligned to Education 5.0 thereby epitomising the province and in particular the nation`s commitment towards spearheading rural industrialization through bridging theory and practice.
Masvingo province is working towards achieving a significant economic income growth rate of over 5% per annum. The manufacturing sector remains a key component in the transformation of the economy through implementation of value chains. The sugar value chain has seen the province becoming the second biggest employer in the country. Plans to put a third mill in the Lowveld as Tongaat Hullets Zimbabwe is geared towards investing in the production of carbon dioxide which is a major raw material for bottling Companies, solar field to generate electricity, production of stock feeds and to increase ethanol production are some of the province`s key drivers in endeavoring to hit the US$8 billion economy target by 2030.
“Masvingo province is endowed with mineral deposits such as lithium, limestone, asbestos, iron ore, chrome, aluminum, boasting of 54% of the national dammed water. The province is also endowed with over 1.2 million cattle making it number one province with the biggest cattle herd. This is the right platform to market Masvingo Province to potential investors who have graced this occasion and encourage value addition of those resources for the benefit of the province and the country at large,” alluded Chadzamira.