THE Ministry of Industry and Commerce has partnered with Africa Economic Development Strategies (AEDS) to host the inaugural Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Expo in Bulawayo, aimed at advancing the country’s industrial transformation agenda.
The high-level event is scheduled to take place from July 23 to 24, 2026, at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds.
AEDS executive director Gift Mugano said the conference will provide a platform for industry players, policy makers and investors to deliberate on strategies to revive manufacturing and strengthen industrial growth.
“The main objective of this conference is to create a platform for robust discussions on issues affecting industrialisation, to develop an agenda for a transformative economy and achieve the country’s future development goals,” Mugano said.
He highlighted that the event would focus on nearly nine thematic areas, including the state of industry, access to finance and markets, technology and artificial intelligence, local content development and green industrialisation.
“The first one, of course, is to look at the state of industry, which is a diagnostic report of the economy. This is very critical in informing policy.
“The Ministry of Industry has put in place an industrial policy running from 2026 to 2030, while the local content strategy runs to 2035. This conference, therefore, becomes a platform for debating and reviewing progress made on the industrial front,” he said.
He said the conference will focus on practical solutions to reduce imports and unlock investment into local industries.
“To what extent are we substituting imports? We want to do away with importing, so we have to build capacity for investment. These commodities are costing over US$2,5 billion from an industrial perspective through imports.
“Tissue and paper account for about US$200 million, pharmaceuticals close to US$300 million, fertilisers US$337 million and iron and steel about US$300 million. These are the candidates for funding because we cannot continue importing these things. We have a comparative advantage to produce them locally,” Mugano said.
He highlighted that his organisation had already been tasked with conducting a study on the state of industry and the 2027 outlook ahead of the conference.
The upcoming conference will serve as a strategic national forum to deliberate on the findings of an ongoing research study.
“As a precursor to the conference, we were requested by the ministry to undertake a research study on the state of industry and the 2027 outlook.
“It covers about eight or nine thematic areas, access to finance, access to markets, technology and artificial intelligence, and local content,” he said.
“We are also going to look at green industrialisation as a thematic area. How do we fund industry in a manner that is aligned with climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies?”
Mugano added that the expo was part of efforts to establish the capital required to invest in import substitution and export growth.
Discussions will focus on practical policy implementation, localised value chain development, mineral beneficiation, and the establishment of a robust iron and steel industrial ecosystem.
Financial mobilisation and investment strategies required to fund these large-scale industrial projects will also take centre stage.