In an interview after the tour of Ethiopia’s multi-million dollar industrial parks on the outskirts of Addis Ababa yesterday, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe must follow the same path of industrialisation.
Ethiopia industrial park is made up of textile companies. Ethiopia’s industrial parks were constructed by Chinese companies. Said Mnangagwa:
The history is that the Government of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia built these factory shells and then invited companies in the textile sector from India to come and do business here. As a result of that it’s now about six years old. This entity alone (Jay Jay Textiles) employees in excess of 4 000 workers but they have other places where they have similar factories having 45 000 employees in the past five years working in these shells built by the Government. I think this is the way to go. They have created employment for the youths and particularly women. You can see inside there that the young girls and women are working. The market, we have been briefed, are top end market in the USA. It is an eye opener that we also in Zimbabwe have the intention of creating economic zones, economic parks of this nature and that is the way. It creates employment. It brings technology. It brings you skills into the country. This is the way to go.
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