ZIF to give Zimbabwe’s metal casting industry a top billing

By Ndanatsiwa Tagwireyi

THE Zimbabwe Institute of Foundries (ZIF) is set to give the country’s metal casting industry a top billing at an inaugural event slated for 10 December 2021 at Harry Allen Golf Club in Bulawayo under the theme, ‘Zimbabwe Metals Casting Indaba -Value Addition and Beneficiation of Metals Key.’

Zimbabwe Institute of Foundries is the mother board and voice of all metal castings in Zimbabwe, for the development and growth towards value addition and beneficiation of metals and bringing the ease of doing business in the sector. The institute seeks to promote skills growth, technology, innovation and development.

Speaking to The Entrepreneurial Magazine, ZIF Chief Operations Officer (COO) Dosman Mangisi underscored the importance of the upcoming indaba in engaging and networking with all key strategic sectors of the economy and sharing the experience of the Zimbabwean metal casting sector.

“We are inspired with the presence of strategic base metals like iron ore, chrome, manganese, quarts, copper, nickel and others in the country” Mangisi said adding that: “Metal casting has never been promoted before and this is the inaugural event in the metallurgical sector on beneficiation.”

ZIF’s metal casting indaba is coming in at a time when Zimbabwe is making consistent efforts towards driving export led industrialization so as to contribute immensely to the Gross Domestic Product growth in line with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1). Metals also critical in the mining value chain and the indaba will tackle issues in line with the country’s vision of a 12 Billion mining economy by 2023.

“It is going to contribute greatly in the sector as it will contribute over USD $1 Billion into the economy with a significant figure on GDP,” Mangisi told the Entrepreneurial Magazine. “Availability of raw materials and pushing the scrap exports ban are some of the key issues to be tackled as half a million is going out of the country in sourcing for raw materials.”

According to the ZIF COO, the main goal is to put the metal casting sector on the map of the economy. He also expressed concern over unavailability of materials for production locally citing that: “There are 55 operational metal foundries including steel plants, and 30 non-operational due to shortage of scrap metal and unavailability of raw materials for production locally”

Mangisi is of the view that: “The ban of the exportation of scrap metal and promoting value addition and beneficiation of base metals in order to have the raw materials is needed in the value chain and foundries,’’ will go a long way in adding value in the metal casting value chain.

The Minister of Mines and Mining Development Winston Chitando will grace the occasion as the guest of honor. Other key stakeholders expected to attend the inaugural metal casting indaba include but are not limited to foundry companies, steel companies, miners, famers, construction companies, industrialists, financial companies, captains of industry and commerce and many more.