Staff Reporter

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has encouraged institutions of higher learning to seek new frontiers by creating products and solutions that accelerate industrialisation, mordenisation and socio economic development.

He said this at the commissioning of Verify Engineering Acetylene Engineering Gas Plant in Feruka, Mutare yesterday.

“I call upon the higher education institutions and its associated start-ups, such as Verify Engineering, to boldly and unapologetically seek new frontiers by developing solutions and products that accelerate the industrialisation, modernisation and socio-economic development,” the President said.

He also called upon Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies to give priority to local products before buying foreign products at the same time urging business stakeholders to continuously engage government so as to improve the quality of goods and services.

“I challenge more of us including, Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, to support the products and services being developed and produced by local companies. The “Made in Zimbabwe” products must be our first choice. Meanwhile, stakeholders and value chain users of locally made products are encouraged to continuously engage and give feedback in the spirit of improving the quality of our goods and services,” said the President.

Verify Engineering and other business players were beseeched to broaden production lines, strategies as well as marketing and sales mix in order to achieve increased footprints in local, regional and international markets. The institutions and other local players were also encouraged to bear in mind bigger goals so as to ensure that their products feed into the regional integration agenda as well as the overall SADC, COMESA and Africa Union industrialisation roadmaps.

President Mnangagwa also assured the business sector that the Second Republic will continue to facilitate an enabling environment for organisations to grow in line with its strategic vision and national imperative.

Meanwhile, the Second Republic has been commended by the business sector for being a listening Government which walks the talk. President Mnangagwa has been engaging the local Captains of Industry in order to create a favourable operating environment that allows a mutually beneficial existence between business and the nation.