{"id":5866,"date":"2025-12-01T09:52:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T09:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.powershiftafrica.org\/blogs\/inside-the-manhize-blueprint-how-zimbabwes-steel-industry-is-betting-on-sector-reforms"},"modified":"2026-09-28T14:14:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:14:33","slug":"inside-the-manhize-blueprint-how-zimbabwes-steel-industry-is-betting-on-sector-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/blogs\/inside-the-manhize-blueprint-how-zimbabwes-steel-industry-is-betting-on-sector-reforms\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Manhize Blueprint: How Zimbabwe is Betting on The Steel Industry to drive Industrialization"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/657880dcd408ac495a5cc888\/1764582557014-5S8DJZCSKX4ODXKCZGL4\/unsplash-image-F4nEetWGt0A.jpg?format=original\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BY KUDAKWASHE MANJONJO<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the 2026\u20132030 National Development Strategy (NDS3) and 2026 National Budget released last week, Zimbabwe has positioned the Manhize steel plant as the anchor of a new integrated industrial era\u2014one designed to slash the country\u2019s US$1.9 billion steel import bill, deepen value addition, and pull downstream industries into a regional manufacturing hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government is counting on a number of reforms to do this. Below, I look at some of the key policy moves shaping the steel industry strategy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Enforcing Local Content in Strategic Sectors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government will roll out mandatory local content thresholds, ensuring that major infrastructure projects procure steel inputs\u2014such as rebars and R-bars\u2014from domestic producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Recasting Steel as an Industrial Product, not a Mineral<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A legislative review will amend S.I. 110 of 1983 to declassify finished steel products as minerals. This will streamline export procedures and support the expansion of value-added steel production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Manhize as a Special Economic Zone<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Manhize SEZ is set to become a fully integrated industrial hub\u2014Zimbabwe\u2019s flagship steel centre and a potential leader in Southern Africa. The zone is designed to attract downstream industries, including fabrication, construction materials, machinery, and automotive components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. Incentives for Beneficiation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To advance domestic mineral processing, the Government of Zimbabwe has introduced a suite of incentives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;\">Removal of customs duty on capital equipment for beneficiation plants.\u00a0<\/p><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;\">Extended VAT deferments to ease project cashflow.\u00a0<\/p><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;\">Automatic VAT registration for mining companies investing US$100 million or more during plant construction, subject to ministerial approval.\u00a0<\/p><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>5. Strategic Export Taxes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To encourage local processing, the government has introduced:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;\">A tiered export tax on lithium aimed at promoting domestic benefits.\u00a0<\/p><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><p style=\"text-align:justify;white-space: normal !important;\">A 5% export tax on ferrochrome, designed to retain more value in-country.\u00a0<\/p><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>6. Cheaper Inputs for Industry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Import duties and surtax are being suspended on key production inputs for the iron and steel sector\u2014particularly those not produced in Zimbabwe\u2014to stimulate smelting, rolling, and fabrication capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Additional Industrial\u2013Mining Policies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>7. Building a Stronger Geological Base<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A nationwide Geomagnetic Airborne Geophysical Survey, undertaken with local and international partners, will upgrade the country\u2019s exploration data, identify new deposits, and reduce investor risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>8. Closing Mineral Leakages<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Government will strengthen ore monitoring by capacitating the Metallurgical Research Institute (MRI) and Mining Promotion Corporation to conduct comprehensive assaying of outward-bound ores, especially for critical minerals and rare earth elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>9. Digitalising Mining Rights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The full operationalisation of the computerised Mining Cadastre System will offer a transparent, modern platform for acquiring and managing mining rights, improving ease of doing business in the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Bigger Picture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although not without challenges\u2014particularly the Manhize plant\u2019s heavy dependence on coal-based steelmaking, which may face rising costs under emerging global carbon border taxes\u2014these reforms collectively signal a deliberate national shift toward industrialisation, local value retention, and regional competitiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With Manhize as the nucleus, Zimbabwe is betting on steel to drive a broader manufacturing ecosystem that links mining, processing, fabrication, and export-oriented production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If implemented effectively, this blueprint could catalyse one of the most significant industrial transformations in Southern Africa this decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Kudakwashe Manjonjo is the Just Transition Advisor at Power Shift Africa<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zimbabwe has positioned the Manhize steel plant as the anchor of a new integrated industrial era\u2014one designed to slash the country\u2019s US$1.9 billion steel import bill, deepen value addition, and pull downstream industries into a regional manufacturing hub.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":5867,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[25],"topic":[],"class_list":["post-5866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs","tag-energy-transition"],"acf":{"url":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5866"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6631,"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5866\/revisions\/6631"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5866"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powershiftafrica.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=5866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}