The Sunday Mail
Munyaradzi Hwengwere
No week goes by without President Mnangagwa exhorting companies and individuals to invest in local markets and buy local products.
Recently, he was at the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) to open a state-of-the-art warehousing facility.
As one with a keen eye, it dawned on him that the bulk of pharmaceutical products were not made in Zimbabwe despite this country having a fairly developed pharmaceutical industry.
He called on NatPharm to engage players within the sector to ensure they increase the share of local products on their shelves.
Experience over the past few years shows buying local products is the way to go.
We wasted decades trying to get foreign contractors excited over the construction of the Beitbridge-Churundu Highway, which is Africa’s busiest trade route.
As we dithered from one tender to the other, investment opportunities were lost.
When it was finally decided to trust local contractors, it took less than five years for the highway to begin shaping up.
As a result, billions of dollars have been saved and many jobs created.
We now have local millionaires who have emerged by rebuilding their own country.
Those millions could have easily been taken by foreigners.
While it makes economic sense to buy Zimbabwe, we still have within our midst many who question the relevance of the programme.
Even worse, not many consciously seek to buy locally made products.
Sadly, the same people who do not buy local products are leading critics of the country’s economic performance.
There is an unfortunate tendency to believe the economy is only managed by the Government.
People and organisations rarely see themselves as economic actors or agents.
In general, we believe we are passive consumers, whose only duty is to look for either the cheapest product or one that is prestigious.
If this cancer was found in the private sector alone, it would be understandable.
Even those who earn money from the public purse seem to have an insatiable appetite for foreign products.
The time has come to put our money where our mouth is.
In a few weeks, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube goes back to Parliament to present the 2023 Budget.
Previously, he has spoken about the need to support the local industry through a robust local content initiative.
Each year, he gets to decide how he will use about US$5 billion to grow the local industry.
While the budget is well-intentioned, it is rarely supported by a measurable programme that directs purchasing power away from foreign products to the local industry.
Currently, only 12 percent of the US$2 billion mining order book is directed to locally produced goods and services.
At a minimum, this must rise to 50 percent.
We need deliberate action, supported by both incentives and disincentives, to ensure local producers and suppliers are favoured.
The Public Procurement Act has a clause that calls for support for local suppliers.
An order below US$300 000 goes to a local contractor – well and good, except this may also refer to a foreign supplier who is registered in Zimbabwe.
In most cases, since local suppliers are financially constrained, foreign suppliers who are locally registered are the ones who often benefit.
Our South African neighbours have made it virtually impossible for foreign-made goods to be bought in the public sector.
They ensure every product supplied to either the central or local government is designated in terms of its local content.
The South African Treasury has set up robust systems to ensure compliance with procurement standards.
Nothing stops our own Government from doing likewise.
We now know that where there is a will our Government can move mountains.
They have successfully done so with the parallel market that was threatening to run amok.
They should do the same to ensure we stop this runaway appetite for imports.
However, in many instances, our local manufacturers have become passive in the face of an onslaught from imports.
We have a growing media sector that we are not mobilising to ensure the public rallies behind local products.
I must critique my Buy Zimbabwe team, too.
We have spoken at length about opening access to the mineral-rich Great Dyke to local companies.
We even have media platforms that connect to that market.
Again, there has not been a concerted effort to run a massive campaign in that region.
Nationally, we have exciting social media personalities whose voices can aid the drive to buy local products.
Every day and every week, we must see Buy Zimbabwe agents talking to consumers and showing them the insignia, as well as speaking on the benefits of buying local goods.
There is a lot that should be done.
For now, as each one of us goes to shop and every company makes a purchasing decision, we must ask ourselves if we are building the country or destroying it.
Every one of us can make a difference.
Jobs, wealth and national pride come from what we do.
Buying Zimbabwe begins with you.
Munyaradzi Hwengwere is the chairperson of Buy Zimbabwe, an organisation that advocates market access and preference for local goods and services.
