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Print【Ferro-alloys.com】:ZIMBABWE'S metal industry has been described as a sleeping giant that needs to be awakened in line with the country's industrialisation agenda. This came out at the Metal Casting and Engineering Summit that kicked offyesterday in Harare,with the academia on board.
Zimbabwe's past economic boom was associated with the prowess ofthe steeland mining industry as it used to stimulate
unlimited downward and upward economic linkages, hence the concern over the current state of affairs.
It is aqainst this backqround that academio and industry are coming together to reawaken the industry for the benefit of the economy.
The ongoing summit, organised by the Zimbabwe Institute of Foundries and the Harare Institute of Technologyis exploring the digital transformation of metal casting processes towards sustainable industrialisation of Zimbabwe through the commercialisation of technology.
As academia,we play a very pivotal role in Zimbabwes economic development journey and there is a missing link between us and the industry,hence we are here to synchronise and operate as a seamless unit in bringing solutions that advance the economy. As at the present,we are lagging despite the huge potential we have"said HIT Pro-Vice Chancellor.Dr Talon Garikai.
The need to breakdown the complexities involved in the processing of metals and minerals has created the need for the
convergence of the countrys academia and industry to strengthen Zimbabwes resolve in driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Meanwhile,the industrial sector has revealed that the country's failure to value-add iron ore and ferrochrome to produce steel has resulted in the economy losing over USS1billion annually.
An emerging and industrialising nation in Zimbabwe's mould requires a robust steel industry to anchor its infrastructure
development projects of building roads and dams.
Despite its rich natural endowment with ferrochrome,iron ore and coal,the demise of steel qiant ZiscoSteel has seen the country losing billions of dollars through imports to sustainits industrial developmentagenda.
"Steel imports as we speak are to the tune of over USS1 billion yearly on the basis that we no longer have vibrant steel.Theindustry was dominated by Ziscosteel and now as a country, we are forced to import to supply the market. As Zimbabwe is pursuing a serious infrastructure roadmap, we have consumed a lot of steel products so the onus is to develop our industry"said Wilfred Motsi, Projects Manager at Dinson lron and Steel.
The fact that Zimbabwe's proximity to the key materials along the Great Dyke makes it a low cost producer of steel among its peers globally could count for nothing as failure to beneficiate is coming at a huge cost to the economy.
“The mining industry is not doing justice in terms of beneficiation as we are losing maximum revenue from export raw minerals and in respect of steel, raw ferrochrome has found its way out of the country without benefiting the nation in terms of foreign currency and employment creation" explained the chief executive ofSimbi AlloyPatricia Mutombgwera.
Of late,Zimbabwe's steel industry has been recycling scrap metal,with a handful of companies playing a leading role.
The Governments industrial agenda will be boosted bvincreased investmentsin value addition and beneficiation of the countrys mineral ores as new players such as Chinese steel giant,Tsingshan Holdings have set base in the Midlands Province with plans to produce the cheapest stainless steel in the World.
Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa,who played a key role in courting Tsingshan, gave a well-knit economic account ofwhat Zimbabwe will benefit from this metal value addition project in Manhize area of Mvuma.
“The Tsingshan project has placed Zimbabwe on the radar and it is giving the country the ability to compete against the world in the steel industry,owing to its mineral resources that have attracted the world's biggest steel producer to its doorstep" he said.
For Ambassador Mutsvangwa, the Manhize Steel Project is only the beginning,as Zimbabwe pushes for beneficiation of the
country's steel sector which is critical for the construction industry and revitalisation of National Railways of Zimbabwe.
The steel industrvs economic multipliereffect can not be overemphasised,as well as its import substitution effect and that means
Zimbabwe is well poised for growth very soon" he added.
The re-awakening ofthe steel industry is expected to give the right impetus to the implementation ofNational Development StrateqyOne in Zimbabwes development matrix.-ZBC.
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