WE ARE WITNESSING FRUITS OF NDS2 - PROF. CHIRISA

ZIMBABWE stands to benefit from the Government's directive that no commodity will be exported in its raw form, a transition and trend that will enable the country to capture greater value, while also creating more jobs here at home, ZEGU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Innocent Chirisa, has said.

Value addition and beneficiation are core pillars of Zimbabwe's National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) 2026–2030, shifting the national focus from raw commodity exports to localized industrial processing.

Addressing delegates at the on-going ZEGU Research, Innovation, Industrialisation and Entrepreneurship Week (RIIEW), in Bindura, Prof. Chirisa expressed optimism at the government's stance describing it as a 'bold shift'.

"For a long time we have exported our commodities in their raw form.

"We are moving away from exporting raw materials towards value addition and beneficiation.

"To me, (NDS2) is not just an economic imperative, it is a national calling to industrialise, innovate and empower our people," said Prof. Chirisa.

He added that already various sectors of the economy are already recording success stories as a result of the ban on raw commodity exports.

"Mineral revenue has reached record highs and local processing industries are creating employment and strengthening our economy.

"In agriculture, there is a lot of investment in agro processing and rural industrialisation.

"Actually, there is a policy framework called Rural Industrialisation 8.0. This is ensuring that our local farmers and commodities benefit directly from the value chain.

"However, the nation's vision extends beyond commodities," he added.

The ZEGU RIIEW 2nd edition, is running under the theme: "Driving Entrepreneurial Industrialisation: Unlocking the value of Commodities and Services for Holistic Economic Growth and Transformation".