Zimbabwe's Granite Value Addition Drive Creates Rural Jobs, Says Mangwana

Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana tours Eberne Investments' granite processing facility in Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe as Government promotes mineral beneficiation and rural industrialisation.

By Southerton Business Times Reporter | UZUMBA-MARAMBA-PFUNGWE

Zimbabwe's push to beneficiate and add value to its mineral resources is creating employment, stimulating rural economies and reducing migration to urban centres, Permanent Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Nick Mangwana has said.

Speaking during a media tour of Eberne Investments, a granite mining and processing company in Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe (UMP), Mangwana said Zimbabwe's vast granite deposits provide a long-term opportunity for industrialisation, provided more of the mineral is processed locally before export.

"We were informed that the granite resource is enough to sustain mining for another thousand years. The challenge was that blocks of granite were leaving the country without adequate processing. Companies like Eberne Investments are now cutting and polishing the granite locally, ensuring that more value is retained in Zimbabwe," Mangwana said.

The tour formed part of a Government programme highlighting development projects in Mashonaland East Province and showcasing progress under Zimbabwe's rural industrialisation and mineral beneficiation strategy.

Mangwana said Eberne Investments has become one of the district's largest employers, providing income for hundreds of families while helping curb rural-to-urban migration.

"Around 420 people are employed here, with more than 70 working in the processing plant and the remainder at the mining site. Almost everybody employed here comes from this community. People no longer have to migrate to Harare to look for employment," he said.

He added that decentralising industry is central to Government efforts to spread economic opportunities beyond Zimbabwe's major cities.

"We have seen a big push for moving industry, production, employment and economic activity away from Harare and other urban centres into rural areas so that people can benefit from economic activity where they live."

Mangwana also linked the project to Zimbabwe's devolution policy, which seeks to transfer decision-making and development planning to provincial and local authorities.

"Devolution simply means that people are making decisions at the lower-tier level where they are. They are in charge of their destiny and their economic activities."

Eberne Investments Director David Van Breda said the company's processing plant, currently about halfway to completion, has the capacity to process 4,500 tonnes of polished granite slabs per month.

"The processing plant can process 4,500 tonnes of granite a month in its current state. We produce polished slabs in different thicknesses depending on customer requirements," Van Breda said.

He said the company manufactures a range of granite finishes, including polished, honed, cut and ground slabs for both local and export markets.

Industry analysts have long argued that mineral beneficiation offers Zimbabwe an opportunity to earn more foreign currency by exporting finished products instead of raw minerals. According to the African Development Bank, adding value to Africa's mineral resources can increase industrial output, create skilled employment and strengthen regional value chains.

Zimbabwe possesses some of the world's largest deposits of black granite, much of it found in Mashonaland East, Mutoko and surrounding districts. For years, stakeholders have called for increased local processing to maximise economic returns from the country's natural resources.

The Government has identified mineral value addition and beneficiation as a key pillar of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and its broader industrialisation agenda, arguing that local processing will boost exports, create sustainable jobs and drive inclusive economic growth.

Zimbabwe granite value addition