Zim Now News Desk
Government has pledged support for women-led manufacturing businesses through inclusive financing models and policies aimed at widening women’s participation in industrial growth.
Speaking at the launch of the Zimbabwe Women in Manufacturing Association, ZWIM, Deputy Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Kiven Mutimbanyoka, who represented Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, said the association marked an important step in strengthening women’s role in manufacturing, MSME development and economic transformation.
“Today is more than the launch of an organisation; it is the birth of a movement that positions women at the centre of Zimbabwe’s industrialisation agenda,” Mutsvangwa said in remarks delivered at the event.
ZWIM is expected to provide a platform for women in manufacturing to organise, advocate for their interests, access markets, build capacity and participate more meaningfully in value chains linked to Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2.
The launch, held at Royal Harare Golf Club on Tuesday, brought together Government officials, industry leaders, development partners, women entrepreneurs and China’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding.
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Zhou said the association had come at a pivotal time as Zimbabwe pushes manufacturing, industrialisation and women’s economic empowerment as pillars of inclusive growth.
He said ZWIM brought together women entrepreneurs from sectors that include agro-processing, textiles, leather, furniture and paper production, describing them as contributors to Zimbabwe’s industrial upgrading and local value addition.
Read Ambassador Zhou Ding’s full speech here: https://sl1nk.com/9uknx9c
Zhou also said Chinese private investments in infrastructure, steel, cement, solar and lithium processing were strengthening Zimbabwe’s industrial base while creating opportunities for SMEs and women entrepreneurs.
The launch comes as Zimbabwe seeks to move more women-led enterprises from informal and small-scale operations into structured manufacturing, where access to finance, equipment, technology, certification and markets remains a major barrier.
The Ministry said support for women in manufacturing was part of a broader drive to ensure industrial growth is inclusive and that women are not left at the margins of national economic development.
ZWIM is expected to work with Government, the private sector and development partners to help women manufacturers scale up production, improve competitiveness and access domestic, regional and international markets.
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