Bulawayo at 125 –
Repositioning Bulawayo For the Future
By Dumisani O. Nkomo
This week Bulawayo will celebrate
its 125thannivesary amidst pleas and cries for the city to be
restored to its former glory days as the
industrial hub of the country in the sixties and seventies. I would like to
argue as I have consistently done so, that the Bulawayo of the sixties and
seventies cannot be recreated. Rather, we need to rebuild and rethink the
economic and development trajectory of the City within the ambit of a twenty
five year turnaround plan. The heavy industries developed in the 60”s and 70’s cannot
to all intents and purposes, be revived in the manner in which they were over
40 to fifty years ago. The dictates of global competitiveness, the shrinking of
traditional drivers of industrial growth and rapid technological advances
require that the city repositions itself outside of and beyond the old economic
foundations of the City. A 25 year plan is required to reposition the city and
place it on a rapid path of growth and sustainable development. 25 years is the
period within which an entire generation reaches maturity and I would like to
suggest that as of 2020 Bulawayo develops a 25 year plan that will turn around
the city and make it one of the most competitive cities in sub Saharan Africa if not Africa.
Competitive
Advantages
The city must leverage on its
competitive advantages and not attempt to compete in areas of weakness. It must
be noted that was a strength probably 25 to thirty years ago may not be a
strength in 2025 or 2045. There must therefore be a heavy investment in
research and scientific projection to facilitate the City’s growth trajectory
based on current and potential social and economic strengths. Significantly,
whilst the city was the hub of meat processing and the beef industry thirty five to fifty years ago, this standing has been
eroded by the following:
1.The effects of drought due to climate change and the
region’s poisoning in natural region four and five which has resulted in
gradual, systematic decimation of the livestock population and in particular
cattle .
2.Decimation of pastures and
water bodies
3.Diseases
4. The effects of the government’s
chaotic land reform programme which resulted in uncontrolled movement of cattle
to other regions. Currently Bulawayo’s feeder provinces Matabeleland South and
North have lost their competitiveness as leading ranching provinces.
5. The national herd has been
reduced from around 6 million in 1996 to around 5,3 million.
All these factors therefore mean
Bulawayo and its surrounding provinces of Matabeleland North and South have to
reposition themselves economically. This can be through either rebuilding the
cattle industry [a process which could take five to 10 years at least assuming
that all required support systems, resources including capital, appropriate
technology and natural conditions are in place ] or focussing on entirely new
productive sectors .
Current Strengths and
Comparative Advantages
1. Bulawayo
is strategically positioned in southern Africa as a gateway to South Africa,
Botswana, Zambia and to a lesser extent Namibia.
2. Bulawayo
is strategically positioned as the largest city nearest to the busiest road
border post in Southern Africa, Beitbridge Border Post.
3. The
city has enormous current and potential advantages in tourism with its
proximity to one of the world’s wonders the majestic Victoria Falls.
4. To the
south is Rhodes Matopos Game Park which has been designated as a UNESCO world heritage site.
5. The Natural
history museum is the best of its kind in southern Africa and one of the
largest four such museums in Africa.
The city thus
has tremendous potential in being cardinal and central to a thriving tourism industry.
6. The city’s
old Victorian type buildings and wide streets which have been viewed as
backward and antiquated present a huge opportunity in remodelling the city as a
city of aesthetic greatness epitomized by Victorian architecture. The city
cannot or may not compete with Johannesburg, Nairobi or other large cities with
impressive sky scrapers but the city can distinguish itself tourism wise, artistically
and culturally through these old buildings which can also be used as a springboard
for building the film industry serving as allocation for local and
international productions
7. The
artistic and cultural heritage, reservoir of talent position Bulawayo as a
creative industry hub for Zimbabwe and indeed the southern African region.
8. The old
heavy industries with huge factories cannot be revived as the equipment is
antiquated and competition from the east has made such a preposition almost preposterous.
However these old factories can be used as storehouses, film locations, indoor
fisheries etc. The city’s strategic geographical position in southern Africa
make it ideal as a warehousing zone for goods which are en route to Botswana, South
Africa and possibly Zambia.
9. The
geographical positioning of the city is ideal in a broader regional road, rail
network as well as aviation nerve centre.
10. The city
may also need to explore its potential as an Information Communication and
technology hub . A good friend of mine Nkosilathi Mazibisa argues that this
could be a game changer for the city in
years to come .
Clearly if
some if not all these competitive advantages are identified as the basis of a thriving local
economy Bulawayo can be great again but not on the basis of nostalgic cravings
for industries of the past but rather building potential drivers of the economy in new
sectors of growth and development .
Importantly
the presence of the National University of Science and Technology in the city
is key. The university is a key player in informing growth in new sectors in
the economy based on scientific innovations and advances in technology. Techno
Park [a NUST vehicle] is key in this respect. The film Industry is not a
welfare sector but a potential money spinner and with the right enabling policies,
deregulation, budgetary support from a devolved provincial and local government
can be a major game changer. The abundant acting and production talent and
potential of the city, the Victorian film locations are an appetizing prospect.
Imagine the whole of railway avenue and Raylton which has become a ghost town
can be a thriving film location for Victorian films. The climate, location and
competitive labour costs are major incentive for the production of international
films even though the country’s film infrastructure is poor. Film can be a
major “export in fifteen to twenty years’ time given proper envisioning,
planning, management, enabling policies and support systems such as bilateral
agreements for equipment and technical support with bigger film producing countries
such as South Africa .Availability of capital for film makers and incentives
for international film companies to produce films in Zimbabwe are key. Bulawayo
can become part of an incredible film value chain and geo virtual corridor with
economic impact of gigantic proportions
Creative Industries
The entire swathe of creative industries from
dance , visual art to film have huge potential to drive growth in Bulawayo. In countries
such as the United States the film industry contributes significantly to the
G.D.P rating closely to other sectors such as aviation. India’s Bollywood and Nigeria’s
Nollywood have taken the world by storm generating millions of dollars and
employing thousands of people through downstream and upstream industries.
Bulawayo is positioned to be the film capital of Zimbabwe and within 25 years a
major film location for local and international film production.
Agro – Industries
If and when
the Zambezi Water Project is impended it will drive major economic development
in the greenbelt that lies along the t corridor of agro industrial activities
which may include sugar production and other high value crops. Towns such as
Lupane will grow exponentially and Bulawayo will benefit not only from the
availability of water but from downstream and upstream economic activities.
Goat Production
There is huge demand for goat
meat internationally especially in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Angola and Uganda.
Possibly there could be a drive to ensure the arid and drought prone provinces
of Matabeleland South and North refocus their attention to this increasingly
growing sector. Abattoirs could be in places such as Maphisa, Plumtree, Gwanda
and Inyathi whilst Bulawayo could be a processing centre and gate away for
exports of goat meat and goat products. More research is needed in exploring
the economic potential of this sector but definitely there is a shift to goat
production and at efforts were made in the initial next five years to ensure
that smallholder farmers increase the sizes of their herds from the current 15
to 20 to at least a hundred per household this could drive the industry driving
it to be a major player in this rapidly growing sector.
The city of kings has the
potential and capacity to be one of the fastest growing cities in sub Saharan Africa
and indeed in Africa by 2045. This is five election cycles away and verily
verily Zimbabwe itself will have new political leadership and a new breed of
global citizen who will not be content with the pace of development and
technological advancement and competitiveness of the current Bulawayo. Let us
project into the future and reimagine a new Bulawayo. “Where there is no vision
people perish “. The twenty-five year turn-around plan can be broken down into
implementable, gradualistic five year plans and those five year plans into
annual economic development plans.
Bulawayo must not allow current debilitating
economic conditions and prohibitive political environment to limit our
collective capacity to project and plan for future generations beyond the next
election.Bulawayo can become a competitive metropolis in 25 years time with
careful envisioning , planning and execution .
Dumisani O Nkomo
Nkomo is the Chief Executive Officer of Habakkuk Trust
He writes here in his personal capacity
He can be contacted
on:
dumisani.nkomo@gmail.com
Whatsapp: 0779617926
or follow him on facebook: Dumisani O. Nyongolo Nkomo
or Blogspot: www. Dumidanionkomo.blogspot .com
Very interesting read,I suggest this be developed into a position paper that could be tabled to critical stakeholders including foreign investors.
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