Introduction
The Special Economic Zones (SEZ) has been identified as a key programme to attract Foreign Direct Investment in different parts of the country. In Bulawayo, the SEZ sites include the former export processing zone sites Umvumila about 188 hectares, Belmont, Donnington, Westondale and Kelvin industrial areas. The Bulawayo City Council in line with the Government program is calling for investors to come and take advantage of the program. Under the program the BCC has also availed virgin land in the Umvumila area to set up an industrial park.
The proposed industrial park will be the first of its kind for the City. The park will focus on attracting the much need FDI in to the City as we are aiming to attract top investors so as to stimulate industrial growth and thus turn Bulawayo into a regional industrial Powerhouse.
The City has also set in place plans to develop an Inland Port as a support structure for the SEZ program. Target sectors include:
Leather and Meat processing
The region around Bulawayo is renowned for livestock production, especially beef. Bulawayo also hosts the headquarters of the Cold Storage Company, which is a state-owned meat processor that is currently undergoing restructuring in order for it to scale past heights when it exported beef to the EU and other overseas markets. There are also dozens of other small abattoirs and meat processors such that any investor in the leather and meat processing sub-sectors will not want for raw materials.
Textiles
Zimbabwe is also a large producer of cotton. Bulawayo’s neighboring provinces -that is Midlands and Matabeleland North- are major producers of cotton. This production has traditionally supplied the textile industry in Bulawayo and other parts of the country. Since the sanctions-induced downturn, the bulk of Zimbabwe’s cotton is exported raw, thereby defeating the national policy on beneficiation of primary products. Investment opportunities exist in the areas of adding value to cotton and other raw products for local and international markets in the form of clothing.
Agricultural and mining equipment
Bulawayo is surrounded by mines and agricultural activities, some of which are actually within the boundaries of the Metro itself. There has always been an industry that supports these mining activities in Bulawayo. Even those doing well such as those in agro-processing and in the manufacture of agricultural implements and machinery need for capital for recovery and expansion to meet rising demand as mining and agricultural activities rapidly increase across the country.
Tires and Rubber Related Products
The closure of Dunlop has meant that Zimbabwe has become an outright importer of vehicle
tyres. The country is losing the much needed foreign currency as individuals and companies are importing tyres from neighboring countries like South Africa, Botswana and Zambia.
Tyre production is an area that is under subscribed in terms of investors. The introduction of the multi-currency regime by the Zimbabwean government, resulted in an influx of second hand vehicles which as a result created a market for tyres as well as other rubber parts for other industries besides the motor industry.
Pharmaceuticals
Bulawayo has always had a strong pharmaceutical manufacturing sub-sector but now this sector is in urgent need of capital. Zimbabwe is importing the bulk of the drugs it needs from countries such as India and China. There is an opportunity for the manufacture of many categories of generic drugs in the country for purposes of import substitution given the large foreign currency requirements each month. The other attraction for an investor is the availability of the Southern Africa regional market which generally has similar requirements.
Timber and furniture processing
The city has also traditionally been known for timber and furniture processing, given the timber plantations of Matabeleland North. Many of these industries are struggling to finance their recoveries in order to meet the rising demand. It’s an area that is open for investment.
Other various sectors to be under SEZ which include:
ICT Innovation Park
Car Assembly
Engineering industry
Factory Park
Cosmetic Industry
Steel Fabrication
Tourism and Curio Manufacturing
Solar Engineering
