COOKING oil producer Zamp-imgold Oil Industries is investing in a new oil extraction and refining plant in Bulawayo, an executive has said, as it ramps up production capacity and explores export opportunities.
The investment is expected to consolidate Zamp-imgold’s position in the domestic market while providing additional capacity to support its planned expansion into regional export markets.
The move comes at a time when Zimbabwe is seeking to revive domestic manufacturing, reduce reliance on imports, and boost exports under regional trade agreements.
The Bulawayo plant is expected to increase local edible oil production capacity, create jobs and position Zamp-imgold to tap into growing demand across Southern Africa and the wider African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market.
During a recent tour of Zamp-imgold’s Harare plant, chief operating officer Rodrek Musiyiwa said the company had established one of Zimbabwe’s leading cooking oil brands.
“We are happy that our brand is one of the major brands in the market and that we are producing enough to meet demand,” Musiyiwa said.
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“In fact, some players are now looking at exporting. This is a positive development because we have enough for Zimbabwe and, as I have just said, we are adding extra capacity.”
The firm is establishing a new facility in Bulawayo to meet rising demand while positioning itself for regional expansion.
“You can see that we are operating at peak capacity right now and can meet market demand. We are also putting up a new plant in Bulawayo,” Musiyiwa said.
“We are happy that we found the space and land to build a brand-new plant that will handle both oil extraction and refining. You will find us in Bulawayo very soon. The team is busy putting it together and, at the right time, we will bring it to market.”
However, he said Zimbabwe could regain its manufacturing strength if industry and the government worked together to reduce the cost of doing business.
“We really want Zimbabwe to become a manufacturing hub again, and we can achieve that through efficiency and cost management,” Musiyiwa said.
“We are saying industry should work with the authorities to identify all the areas where these costs arise and begin streamlining them.”
He said efforts to reduce production costs were already yielding positive results, particularly through the review of fees affecting manufacturers.
“We are happy that we have been able to identify some of the costs associated with doing business. Some licence fees and other charges are being reviewed, and that is a positive step,” Musiyiwa said.
“Anything that can be removed from our production costs is welcome, and we are happy for this process to continue through a review of the entire production cost structure so that it becomes more competitive.”
His remarks come as competition in the cooking oil sector continues to intensify.
“We are happy that there are now probably eight or nine players in the sector and several brands on the market,” Musiyiwa said.
Industry and Commerce permanent secretary Tadeous Chifamba said the ministry wanted to support companies such as Zamp-imgold to expand into the African Continental Free Trade Area, the world’s largest free trade area.
“We were having a conversation on how we can look beyond the national market because we are part of Africa and the African Continental Free Trade Area, which is a US$3,5 trillion market with a growing population of more than 1,5 billion people,” he said.