By Sukoluhle Ndlovu
Zimbabwe’s manufacturing capacity utilisation rose to 61.2 percent in the first half of 2026 from 57.3 percent last year, while manufactured exports reached US$593 million by August, Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu has said.
In a post on the ministry’s Strategic Planning and Review Workshop in Bulawayo, Ndlovu said the figures pointed to progress in the sector, although manufacturers continued to face high production costs and other operational challenges.
“We begin our planning cycle with encouraging signs of progress. Zimbabwe’s economy grew by 8.3% in 2025, while manufacturing capacity utilisation reached 61.2% in the first half of 2026 up from 57.3% in 2025,” he said.
Manufactured exports stood at US$593 million by August, while the commercial sector contributed about 10.8 percent to Gross Domestic Product in the second quarter of the year.
Ndlovu said new shopping and service facilities were emerging in provincial towns and along major transport corridors, alongside growth in digital trade.
However, he said industries still faced obstacles that needed to be addressed to sustain growth.
“On the other hand, our industries continue to face constraints relating to energy, financing, technology, logistics and production costs,” he said.
Cabinet has approved four policy frameworks aimed at strengthening industrial production, promoting local content and improving consumer protection and quality standards.
The policies are the Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy 2 (2026–2030), Local Content Strategy (2026–2035), Consumer Protection Policy (2026–2030) and Zimbabwe National Quality Policy (2026–2030).
“These policies have been approved by Cabinet and will soon be launched. Our focus is now to ensure their implementation is practical, coordinated and measurable,” Ndlovu said.
He said the ministry’s strategic review would examine progress made, identify delayed programmes and determine the corrective action needed.
“Overall, we seek to know what has been achieved, what is delayed and what corrective action is being taken,” he said.
Ndlovu said successful initiatives should also be shared across the sector to improve industrial performance.
“I strongly believe that when an approach is working, we must share it across the industry,” he said.
