Agreed, there are always exceptions, like one company we won’t name that lost a big contract because they just did not care to observe quality. That said, we must not use the outlier to describe the general.
On a recent market survey conducted in South Africa to assess the performance of Zimbabwean made products, quality emerged as one prime reason products such as Mazoe, Pfuko , Sun Jam , Cerevita and many others are sought after. The limitation was consistency and pricing.
It is a well known fact that in the diaspora market a number of local products fetch way more than they do in Zimbabwe. The reason is simple. Zimbabwean products are of high quality. The weakness is that we are not investing in product marketing, improving distribution, ensuring products are consistently available and at the right price. It almost seems as if Zimbabwean companies are scared of the market.
Trust between producers and consumers has been broken by years of hyperinflation and currency volatility. Our situation is akin to a relationship characterized by abuse. Confidence in self and in others is lost. Unfortunately, one can never run away from their own shadow. For our business sector to move forward we must face our fears and be courageous enough to step out of our comfort zone. Since dollarisation, most of our businesses have stopped benchmarking against international markets believing that the best “ export market’ is domestic. Why chase the dollar in Zambia when in Zimbabwe you can earn one at higher margins with less hustle, it has been argued? The business sector is possibly not listening to Reserve Bank Governor, John Mushayavanhu, who says repeatedly the country must get ready for a time when ZiG is the only currency in use. Soon the only way to earn the US dollar will be via exporting.
Due to many challenges the business sector has faced many have have taken the pedal from the market. The focus is just to survive. Resultantly we are losing market share and allowing foreign products to dominate us. As that happens economies of scale are lost, competitiveness weakened, imports rise, jobs losses increase and poverty accelerates.
Buy Zimbabwe is currently seized with a nationwide research to determine factors that influence consumption patterns. While results are still to come, all indications are that price will emerge as the lead factor. Ask anyone who has ever bought a Chinese product and they will tell you that they buy it not because it has high quality but that it is cheap. The shoes do not last and shirts tear at their third wash. In contrast buy shoes from Bata or shirts from a local manufacturer and it will last a longer period.
We can also take a look at the cement industry which is currently reeling under a flood of imports. Again ask the local construction industry which product has better quality and they unequivocally cite the local one. Yet because our quality products are seen as expensive we have seen a surge in smuggling imported products.
Zimbabweans do not hate their own products. We believe they love local products. They have just not been brought into the main discourse to offer suggestions as to what must be done to ensure that our beloved products beat imports.
By engaging local content creators, Buy Zimbabwe hopes to bring the generality of Zimbabweans into a conversation about their own. For sure local content creators will assist in marketing local products. But the conversation is broader than simply marketing . The bigger goal is to rally our nation into a discussion towards ensuring their local products win both at home and in export markets. A weakness in our country is believing that business conversations must be limited to boardrooms only. Hollywood has built America. Our own content creators can rebuild the local industry .
We must not assume that local products refer to products that are produced by traditional corporates. Zimbabwe has many emerging entrepreneurs with exposure to global best practices. Most of these entrepreneurs are not known. Their products are ‘dying’ to break into local and global markets . A little cheer to these heroes surely is not a bad thing.
Success of the local product is not an event. It is a journey.
In 2008, the proportion of products made in Zimbabwe on the supermarket shelves had fallen to less that 10 percent. Today that proportion has increased to above 60 percent in the area of foodstuffs. For sure we are still lagging behind in clothing, footwear, electricals and general machinery. What we must appreciate is that Rome was not built in a day. By taking gradual steps we will reduce the portion of imports while increasing the share of our own.
What is needed is the public to rally around the idea of supporting local and compelling Government procurement to prioritise locally made goods and services.
It is estimated that Government spends in the region of US$ 7 billion per year in procurement. While the money is directed to local suppliers, most of it goes to buying imported goods at the expense of local producers.
The partnership with local content creators is simply saying story telling and conversing about local products will benefit all. We must never make the mistake of believing that those whose skill is to talk and make skits have no role in developing economies. They are at the centre of prosperous Zimbabwe, including advocating for buying local products.
The tragedy with us is that we often celebrate success when it has been achieved. In the early 2000s there was a nationwide outcry when ZBC took the decision to implement 75 percent local content. Many locals cried for Santa Barbra. Many wished to listen to Michael Jackson more than their own artists. Even the Jurist International, led by Advocate Bizos visited Zimbabwe alleging human rights abuses for just deciding to prioritise local content. Just as well it did not take long before Zimbabweans demonstrated that they too could produce good music and television drama. Year in and year out Studio 263 emerged as the most preferred soap . Some of the actors in the soap are today plying their trade in Hollywood. The lesson is once again clear. If you denigrate your own, don’t expect sympathy from your competitors. They will surely dance on your grave.
Promoting our locally produced goods and services is the only way to create jobs, wealth and pride. Who else is better able to tell that story that local content creators. – Buy Zimbabwe
Post published in: Featured