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Land ownership key to Zimbabwe's industrialisation
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Zimbabwe Lands Commission (ZLC) Commissioner Rosemary Choruma Dowa has underscored the critical role of land ownership in Zimbabwe's industrialisation agenda, urging citizens to leverage the title deed reform programme to create sustainable, land-based businesses.
Speaking during the Smart Township and Rural Opportunities Forum held in Bulawayo yesterday, Dowa emphasized that land remains central to economic growth as it supplies the essential raw materials needed by the manufacturing sector.
"Land is the backbone of any form of economic development," she said. "You can have machinery, but without raw materials, what's the use of that machinery? We need to build our industries around land and strategically identify corridors where specific products or commodities are produced to feed directly into our industrial base."
Dowa pointed out that while the State retains ownership and control over land, it provides citizens with usage rights through various forms of tenure. She stressed that the land reform programme was fundamentally aimed at ensuring indigenous Zimbabweans participate meaningfully in the country's economic development.
"The State has the right to expropriate, alienate and allocate land," she noted. "But citizens must realise that this right comes with an opportunity — to use the land productively and support national growth."
She expressed concern that Zimbabwe continues to import many raw materials that could be produced locally, calling for a shift towards domestic production.
"We are importing most of our raw materials, yet some of them are so basic we could easily produce them here," she said. "We must take land seriously and use it as a catalyst for industrial growth."
Dowa also encouraged citizens to seize the opportunity presented by the title deed reform programme to secure land tenure and establish enterprises that contribute to the economy.
Echoing her sentiments, Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education chairperson and land development expert Professor Mandivamba Rukuni said rural industrialisation offers a way out of the middle-income trap affecting Zimbabwe and other African nations.
"The relationship between agriculture and industry in Africa is weak," Rukuni observed. "The solution lies in rural industrialisation. That's how we break free from economic stagnation and achieve sustainable development."
He called for integrated development strategies that prioritise industrialisation in rural areas, where most Zimbabweans reside and where untapped economic potential abounds.
The Smart Township and Rural Opportunities Forum brought together stakeholders from government, academia, and the private sector to explore innovative ways of transforming rural and peri-urban areas into economic hubs, in line with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
Speaking during the Smart Township and Rural Opportunities Forum held in Bulawayo yesterday, Dowa emphasized that land remains central to economic growth as it supplies the essential raw materials needed by the manufacturing sector.
"Land is the backbone of any form of economic development," she said. "You can have machinery, but without raw materials, what's the use of that machinery? We need to build our industries around land and strategically identify corridors where specific products or commodities are produced to feed directly into our industrial base."
Dowa pointed out that while the State retains ownership and control over land, it provides citizens with usage rights through various forms of tenure. She stressed that the land reform programme was fundamentally aimed at ensuring indigenous Zimbabweans participate meaningfully in the country's economic development.
"The State has the right to expropriate, alienate and allocate land," she noted. "But citizens must realise that this right comes with an opportunity — to use the land productively and support national growth."
She expressed concern that Zimbabwe continues to import many raw materials that could be produced locally, calling for a shift towards domestic production.
"We are importing most of our raw materials, yet some of them are so basic we could easily produce them here," she said. "We must take land seriously and use it as a catalyst for industrial growth."
Dowa also encouraged citizens to seize the opportunity presented by the title deed reform programme to secure land tenure and establish enterprises that contribute to the economy.
Echoing her sentiments, Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education chairperson and land development expert Professor Mandivamba Rukuni said rural industrialisation offers a way out of the middle-income trap affecting Zimbabwe and other African nations.
"The relationship between agriculture and industry in Africa is weak," Rukuni observed. "The solution lies in rural industrialisation. That's how we break free from economic stagnation and achieve sustainable development."
He called for integrated development strategies that prioritise industrialisation in rural areas, where most Zimbabweans reside and where untapped economic potential abounds.
The Smart Township and Rural Opportunities Forum brought together stakeholders from government, academia, and the private sector to explore innovative ways of transforming rural and peri-urban areas into economic hubs, in line with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
Source - newsday
