Bruce Chahwanda, Political Editor
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has called on young entrepreneurs to position themselves as producers, innovators, and digital traders, urging them to focus on exporting value-added Zimbabwean goods and services.
Addressing delegates at the 2025 ZimTrade Annual Exporters’ Conference in Bulawayo, the President said: “I call upon the younger entrepreneurs to be producers, innovators and digital traders with focus on the export of value-added Zimbabwean goods and services.”
He said the youth have a duty to drive industrialisation and economic transformation. “Individually and collectively, you have a duty to be more active participants as drivers of the industrialisation, modernisation and economic growth agenda,” he said, adding that established exporters and corporates should mentor and integrate young people across export value chains.
The President stressed that infrastructure development are central to the Export Growth Strategy. The modernisation of trade corridors, alongside rail and logistics reforms, was “strategic investments in competitiveness” designed to ensure Zimbabwean goods move “efficiently and reliably” to regional and global markets.
He said export competitiveness is being driven through a Whole-of-Government Approach, underpinned by macro-economic stability, investment facilitation, streamlined incentives, and improved access to finance within a predictable, investor-friendly environment.
Programmes in irrigation development, climate-smart agriculture, mechanisation, land tenure security, and water infrastructure were guaranteeing a steady supply of exportable agricultural products and raw materials for agro-processing, he said.
In tourism, robust destination marketing, standards enforcement, skills development, and investment promotion are yielding results. “Zimbabwe is fast becoming a tourist destination of choice and service-export hub,” President Mnangagwa said.
Under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), he stated that export growth must be inclusive and improve livelihoods. “Our national development philosophy is ‘leaving no one and no place behind’,” he said, noting that opportunities would be extended to small and medium enterprises, cooperatives, youth and women-led enterprises, rural producers, and community-based industries.
He highlighted ZimTrade’s cluster development programmes as key to empowering communities to participate in export value chains, ensuring exports translate into jobs, incomes, and sustainable development.
The President underscored the role of innovation and digital platforms in expanding export markets. “We must continue to harness the efficacy of e-commerce platforms and the use of digital tools to connect exporters to international buyers,” he said.
He challenged exporters to serve national interests, arguing that exporting strengthened sovereignty and economic stability. Government’s economic diplomacy thrust, he added, would continue converting international relations into markets, investments, and technology partnerships, with missions and consulates acting as “economic frontlines” to support exporters.
President Mnangagwa also urged ZimTrade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to accelerate the establishment of warehousing and logistics facilities in strategic jurisdictions to enhance penetration into regional markets and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“Together, in unity, let us translate the ongoing economic reforms into shipments; partnerships into premium prices; and strategy into shared prosperity,” he said.
Declaring the conference officially open, the President said Zimbabwe had the capacity, “sector by sector, province by province”, to build a diversified and competitive export economy under NDS2.
“Nyika inovakwa, inotongwa, inonamatirwa nevene vayo. Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, li-khu-le-ke-lwe ngabanikazi balo,” he said
