According to the information released at the Zimbabwe Economic Development Conference 2025 (ZEDCON), the country's manufacturing industry is facing a major turnaround. Mangaliso Ndhlovu, Zimbabwe's Minister of Industry and Commerce, said the domestic cement industry was experiencing a strong recovery and planned to start exporting cement in May next year. In a panel discussion entitled "Macroeconomic and Sectoral Policies for Broad Economic Transformation"
, Ndhlovu outlined a comprehensive blueprint for revitalizing the country's industrial base through major investments and policy reforms. He pointed out that the boom in the domestic construction industry had created unprecedented demand for building materials, but Zimbabwe had become a net importer of cement due to insufficient domestic production capacity. However, with increased investment in the cement industry, it is expected that by May next year, Zimbabwe will not only be able to achieve self-sufficiency in cement, but also export it to neighboring countries at competitive prices. The country is pushing ahead with two major investments
to reduce imports and boost exports. One is located in Chegutu and the other in Magonje district of Mashonaland West province. Mashonaland West alone has attracted more than $1 billion in investment in the manufacturing sector this year, showing strong investor confidence in the region's industrial potential. By contrast, neighboring Zambia's cement industry is growing at just 1% a year, with an estimated $64.6 million in exports in 2026, leaving room for Zimbabwe's market.
In addition, the government has made decentralized industrial development a priority to create jobs and slow the migration of people to cities. With more than 60% of the country's population living in rural areas, promoting rural industrialization was both an economic necessity and a social need. This focus on rural development dovetails with broader plans for manufacturing growth, along lines similar to the model in neighbouring Zambia, where manufacturing accounts for 8% of GDP and opportunities exist in a number of sub-sectors.
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