ZIMBABWE’s manufacturing capacity utilisation has surged to 61, 2% attributed to improved utilisation, which has seen export earnings raking in US$584 million.
Addressing stakeholders at the Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference Expo (ZICE) 2026, Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu said various strategies employed since 2019 have spurred industrial capacity.
“Manufacturing capacity utilisation has increased significantly from 36.4% in 2019 to 61.2% in 2026, reflecting improved utilisation of installed capacity, increased production and renewed confidence among manufacturers.
“During the same period, the manufacturing sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product has risen from approximately 15% to 17.1 %, reaffirming the sector’s position as one of the principal drivers of Zimbabwe’s economic growth and structural transformation,” he said.
Ndlovu said equally encouraging is the continued improvement in the country’s export performance, with manufactured exports growing from approximately US$360 million in 2019 to US$584 million in 2025, demonstrating that Zimbabwean products are becoming increasingly competitive within regional and international markets.
This growth is particularly significant because it reflects our deliberate shift from exporting raw materials towards producing higher-value manufactured goods that generate greater foreign currency earnings, create quality employment and stimulate industrial expansion.
“These achievements are not isolated statistics. They represent factories that have resumed production, businesses that have expanded operations, new investments that have come into our economy, workers who have found employment and investors who have shown great confidence in Zimbabwe’s economic future,” he said.
Ndlovu added that the government is encouraged by the strong pipeline of investments currently under consideration in strategic sectors such as cement manufacturing, fertilizer production, steel production, mining equipment manufacturing, engineering products, automotive assembly, and industrial machinery.
“These investments are not only expanding productive capacity but are also strengthening domestic value chains, promoting technology transfer and creating thousands of employment opportunities for Zimbabweans,” he added.
