President Emmerson Mnangagwa has called for an urgent national push to scale up local beneficiation, value addition, and the export of processed products, warning that Zimbabwe can no longer afford to rely on shipping out unrefined raw materials.

Speaking at the official opening of the inaugural Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Expo (ZICE) in Harare, President Mnangagwa emphasised that transforming raw commodities into high-value finished goods is the most pressing imperative for the nation’s economic strategy.

“The need to scale-up beneficiation, value addition, manufacturing and export of processed materials, is now urgent,” he said.

“I am confident that through stronger synergies within the manufacturing and other sectors of the economy, more can be done to accelerate the realisation of set targets.”

He stressed that sustainable prosperity depends on building strong domestic capabilities to convert natural resource endowments into high-value goods, pointing directly to critical primary sectors requiring immediate industrial processing focus.

“The need to beneficiate iron and steel, lithium, cement, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, leather, cotton, fertilizers, dairy, oilseed processing as well as sugar, grains, logistics and packaging, are areas deserving attention from us all,” President Mnangagwa said.

Challenging the private sector and mining operators, the President warned against business models that extract wealth without building long-term local capacity.

He reiterated that the ultimate goal of beneficiation is to stimulate downstream industries, expand employment, and increase foreign currency earnings.

“Stakeholders in mining and mineral value chain industries are challenged to quickly adapt and ensure that our strategic minerals are value added and beneficiated for win-win benefits,” he said.

“As I have said in the past, my government does not accept ‘horse and rider’ economic cooperation or investments, including from local manufacturing players. National resources must be processed and beneficiated for the realisation of maximum economic returns that benefit all our people.”

The President added that expanding local processing capabilities must extend beyond domestic consumption, calling on Zimbabwean manufacturers to aggressively target export markets within SADC, COMESA, and the African Continental Free Trade Area.

To support this urgent push, he said the government committed to enhancing industrial financing mechanisms, improving the investment climate, and securing resilient infrastructure, energy, and logistics systems.