Zimbabwe is edging closer to stopping cement imports after the setting up of various production plants across the country.
Chinese firm, Shuntai Investment, is setting up a US$70 million cement plant in Chegutu, a development which is earmarked to catapult the country towards cement self-sufficiency status. The plant is expected to start full production next year, with a projected output of 800 000 tonnes of cement annually.
Shuntai Investments (Pvt) Ltd Administration Manager, Mr Yan Bo confirmed that his firm is seeking a Special Economic Zone status to operate competitively. “We are installing technologically-advanced machines and making use of locally available resources, so this means we are going to have minimum production cost, which translates to reduced retail price of a bag of cement. So far, we have already employed 300 local youths from Chegutu, and across all our operations, we are looking at about 4 000 people in total. For the Chegutu plant, we have set up January of next year as our completion target.”
The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Honourable Mangaliso Ndlovu, said the government’s target is to improve the contribution of the manufacturing sector to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the current 14.5 percent to 22 percent.
Meanwhile, another Chinese investor, WhiZim International, is setting up a US$1 billion cement plant in Magunje, Hurungwe, where over 2 000 will be employed. Construction works are also at an advanced stage.
