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Kiyapili Sibanda, Business Reporter
LOCAL training institutions have been urged to change their curriculum to suit leather and textile sectors in line with Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

Bulawayo has been granted a SEZ status specifically in the leather and textiles sectors in terms of the Special Economic Zones Act (Chapter 14:34) that was gazetted recently.

The model is expected to attract increased investment in Bulawayo and help restore the city’s manufacturing hub status.

Leather Institute of Zimbabwe (LIZ) chairman Mr Cornelio Sunduza said the biggest development was that Bulawayo has been declared a SEZ with focus on leather and textile sectors.

He said in this light tertiary training institutions should change their syllabi to incorporate leather and textile related curriculums.

“Bulawayo being identified as a SEZ, is the biggest development because this means that we are in the right direction in terms of reviving the manufacturing  sector. I also urge training institutions to change their syllabi to incorporate leather and textile-related curriculums. This is an opportunity for economic revival especially when it comes from the Matabeleland region,” he said.

Mr Sunduza said the leather institute has adopted several resolutions on training local people on how to design and stitch a leather product as a way of empowering an average person with technical skills.

He said they were courting international organisations to assist in transforming an average person into an artisan.

Mr Sunduza also highlighted that an exportable leather product requires a lot of input and that was among the challenges affecting Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in penetrating export markets.

“The manufacturing of an exportable product requires a lot of input.

“First is the designing, second is the type of machinery used to manufacture the product and the type of raw material used.

“All these are some of the factors needed to come up with an exportable product,” he said.

@Kiyaz_Cool