INDUSTRY and Commerce minister Nqobizitha Ndlovu has called on the private sector to identify bottlenecks and challenges they face in regional trade for Sadc nations to assist, amid a push to drive intra-Africa trade.
The push for intra-regional trade comes amid escalating tension between Zimbabwe and Zambia after President Emmerson Mnangagwa made unwarranted attacks on the latter’s sovereignity.
The political tiff has resulted in Zambia’s Foreign Affairs minister, Mulambo Haimbe, announcing to the nation’s parliament last Thursday the country had appealed to regional bodies to resolve the impasse.
“We hope that the private sector can bring to the spotlight the bottlenecks or challenges that they are facing, which, if addressed, can then increase both trade and industrialisation itself,” Ndlovu told NewsDay Business in an interview at the Sadc ambassadors meeting last week ahead of the Sadc Industrialisation Week slated for July 28 to August 2.
“So, we hope that this platform will serve as a catalyst for this. If addressed, it can then increase both trade and industrialisation itself.”
He said the meeting was crucial, as it was one of Sadc’s strategies to bring industrialisation to life for investors to invest.
According to the African Development Bank’s recent economic outlook report, the southern Africa region had seen a slowdown in economic growth over the past year as its largest economy, South Africa, had been dealing with multiple challenges.
Civil unrest, electricity crisis and natural disasters have contributed to dampening prospects for the region, which is lagging other African regions.
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“Our focus really is to bring Sadc ministers of industry and trade together to assess the progress that we have made in the implementation of the Sadc industrialisation strategy and roadmap, as well as identify possible investors that can come into our manufacturing sector,” Ndlovu said.
“So, really, that is the broader objective of the Sadc Industrialisation Week.”
Ndlovu said the region needed to come up with the strategies that supported the livelihoods of its people.
Commenting about the Sadc Industrialisation Week meeting, Zambia’s ambassador to Zimbabwe Derick Livune said such meetings were crucial to promote regional trade and reduce the cost of doing business regionally.
“These meetings are very important because they bring to surface what each member country is doing so as to promote trade in the Sadc. The issue is not to compete but to complement each other,” he said.
“Trading among Sadc member states has a reduced cost of doing business, unlike doing business with countries outside the region. So, when the region is industrialised, the better for all member states.”
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries chief executive officer Sekai Kuvarika said it was critical for business to actively participate in business through working towards the region industrialisation.
“The policy itself needs to be translated to business and to dollars and cents at the end of the day,” she said.
“So, we are committed to ensure that the Sadc industrialisation strategy eventually finds its existence and can be counted in dollars and cents across the region.”
She said the core of industrialisation was manufacturing and called for more advocates of investment.
