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THE Government is planning to upgrade Hwange Units 1 to 6 following the successful commissioning of                                                                                                      Units 7 and 8 early this year, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Thursday.

He said this at the ZimTrade annual exporters’ conference in the capital.

In its quest to attain an upper middle-income economy by 2030, Zimbabwe is moving to develop and modernise key enablers for production, trade, and commerce such as transport infrastructure and technology to facilitate value addition and beneficiation.

President Mnangagwa urged the private sector to invest in and harness the country’s abundant clean renewable energy resources.

He challenged businesses to accelerate the movement of both raw materials and finished goods in an effort to scale up production, productivity, trade and exports.

The agriculture sector, he said, remains one of the key strategic beneficiaries of policies instituted to drive growth in exports.

“All sub-sectors in agriculture have, in the past six years, recorded unprecedented successes, which have also seen us becoming food-secure in maize and wheat,” he said.

President Mnangagwa paid tribute to ZimTrade for continuing to nurture various provincial clusters in the horticulture sub-sector, which has resulted in increased exports of horticultural produce while ensuring adherence to international standards to gain market access.

“Meanwhile, the adoption and use of technology in agriculture has been scaled up as the nation strives towards climate-smart farming. 

“This is further facilitating our agricultural sector to become more efficient and productive,” he said.

He also commended ZimTrade for initiating the youth-focused Eagle’s Nest Programme, which has facilitated the development of new and viable youth-owned businesses that have generated interest from international buyers.

The hard work culture and innovations behind the businesses under this programme will contribute to export earnings and the realisation of broad-based empowerment and wealth creation, he said.

“Equally, the She-Exporter Programme has seen women-owned businesses growing to become exporting entities, with footprints spanning into Europe and the Middle East. Well done,” he said.

President Mnangagwa urged ZimTrade and other stakeholders to continue developing and nurturing mutually beneficial synergies across all sectors of the economy, adding that the export market information must be less opaque and more accessible to all.

This year the conference was held under the theme, “Exporting into the Future”.

Speaking at the same event, Industry and Trade Minister, Dr Sithembiso Nyoni said the country has recently witnessed an increase in exports of manufactured goods, which she attributed to the improved electricity generation, improved access to foreign exchange for the importation of raw materials, and the bumper harvest in the past season.

She said the agricultural sector, which has a strong link with manufacturing, contributes about 60 percent of the raw materials.

Dr Nyoni said the Second Republic, will continue to craft policies that encourage productivity, improve industry competitiveness, and grow the manufacturing sector in a manner that promotes exports.

She challenged the captains of the industry to embrace technology as it plays a critical role in export success. – New Ziana