ABOUT 25 000 jobs will be created through the Sakubva Urban
Renewal Project, the construction of the Gemmology Centre and the Industrial
Hub in Mutare, the Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and
Devolution, Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba has said.
She said work on the Sakubva Urban Renewal Project began a
few weeks ago.
“In the spirit of devolution, people from this province
will provide labour, while local companies will supply the bulk of the
materials needed in carrying out the work,” she said.
“These projects will create 25 000 jobs and will help to
alleviate poverty among the locals as people will get employment. Shifts will
be introduced to speed up the completion of the projects. We want people to
live in decent accommo+6dation, while our facilities are world class,” said Dr
Gwaradzimba.
The minister said funds for the construction of the
Gemmology Centre and the Industrial Hub have since been released.
“Treasury has released a total of $30 million to the
Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to kickstart the Gemmology project.
The Department of Public Works will undertake the construction work as the
project is a Public Sector Investment Programme,” she said.
Dr Gwaradzimba said the Gemmology Centre will be
established in Fern-Hill under the jurisdiction of the Mutare City Council.
The local authority donated land for the project. Dr
Gwaradzimba revealed that President Mnangagwa is expected to commission the
Gemmology Centre.
“In order to expedite the implementation of the Gemmology
Centre, Fern-Hill was designated as a Special Economic Zone, which will be
catalytic in bringing investment to the area,” she said, adding that the
Gemmology Centre will be a centre of excellence training students on how to cut
and polish precious minerals.
“The centre will focus on value addition and beneficiation
of precious minerals. The Diamond Park or Gemmology Centre will also be instrumental
in jewellery manufacturing and marketing. It will definitely develop into an
international trade centre for precious minerals.
“The project will be spearheaded by the Zimbabwe School of
Mines in Bulawayo. The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company and the Ministry
of Local Government and Public Works will also be active partners in the
construction of the Gemmology Centre.
“The Innovation Hub and Industrial Park are being
spearheaded by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation,
Science and Technology Development.
The hubs will be established in our institutions of higher
learning and are meant to spearhead technological innovations to leverage
economic turnaround,” she said.
Dr Gwaradzimba said a technical team has already been
constituted. The team is mandated to ensure that work on the Gemology Centre
and Industrial Hub is expedited.
She pledged to personally monitor progress on all the
projects to ensure that the ventures do not remain on paper. Manica Post
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